Well it was only a matter of time before the two met. And the results are not great for staffing companies. Insurance companies are using complex analytics (aka Big Data) as a substitute for human judgement in the underwriting process. The insurance carriers believe big data will better screen for risky clients and improve their overall profitability.
Underwriters have for decades consulted detailed actuarial tables that have helped them serve as gate keepers for insurance companies. Specifically, there was to some degree an element of human involvement in this process — that could work in a staffing client’s favor.
The combination of the emergence of big data over the last few years, and the insurance industry experiencing under preforming investment portfolios, has resulted in insurance carriers changing their traditional underwriting methods. Now, they believe by removing the human element in the underwriting process, they will experience greater returns in their workers compensation portfolios.. Here is an article that explains this change.
http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20130113/NEWS04/301139979
This may be one reason why staffing companies are turning more and more to Professional Employer Organizations ( or PEO’s ) to meet their workers compensation and back office needs. To be sure, PEO’s use insurance carriers like everyone else, but they usually are allowed to take on more risk because of their significant financial relationship with the carrier. In fact most PEO’s have millions of dollars in deposits with their carriers. Most staffing companies of course can not afford these types of deposits.
Let’s talk about how a PEO can help solve your workers compensation challenges. Contact me at davidstaffing@gmail.com and visit us at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com
All the best
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
American Staffing Association Member
California Staffing Association Member
Exclusive PEO Broker for the United States Staffing Association
Visit Work Comp Staffing Solutions at Booth 104 at the A. S. A. Orlando Conference