The UK jobs market cooled in 2025, but insurance pricing roles didn't get any easier to fill. The profile pricing teams want is narrow, the shortage is sharpest at junior to mid-level, and hiring processes have got longer. Recruit-train-deploy gets round that by recruiting for aptitude, training for pricing and deploying people who are ready to contribute.
Hiring slowed in 2025, interview processes ran longer and employers became more selective. Vacancies have fallen for a number of consecutive quarters since their 2022 peak. Specialist pricing, actuarial and data roles haven't disappeared, though. They've become harder to fill and harder to break into.
Why hasn't a slower jobs market made pricing hires easier?
Because the shortage was never about the number of people looking for work. Pricing leaders want strong numerical foundations, knowledge of GLMs, hands-on Python or SQL, and the ability to explain what a model means for loss ratio, rate adequacy and retention. Few candidates combine all of that, and the gap bites hardest at junior to mid level.
Early-career candidates face the mirror image of the problem: they can't get experience without already ticking every box. And longer processes, with more interviews per offer and tougher technical screening, mean a strong candidate can be off the market before a decision lands.
What does this mean for pricing leaders?
Waiting for the perfect CV is a slow way to fill a pricing team. Recruit-train-deploy takes a different approach: recruit for aptitude and attitude, train for pricing, then deploy into your team. Our explainer, What is a recruit-train-deploy programme for insurance pricing?, covers the steps, so here's what matters most in a slower market.
You get people trained in what your team actually uses. The Pathfinders™ Academy covers SQL, Python, GLMs, GBMs, Radar, deployment and testing, governance and Consumer Duty, and communication and business skills. Pathfinders make an impact from day one, and they're deployed on an initial contract, typically 24 months, with the option to take them on permanently. That gives you capacity now and a decision on permanent hiring later. Every Pathfinder we've trained is now working as a pricing analyst with a UK insurer.
The question for pricing leaders is less whether candidates exist and more whether people who fit your profile can be found, trained and placed before someone else gets to them. If you're weighing up options, see how we work with employers.
Where is demand for pricing talent strongest?
A handful of UK city hubs, like London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Edinburgh, show the strongest demand for pricing and data talent. Hybrid working is common, but regional differences still matter when you decide where a pricing role sits.
How can early-career talent get into insurance pricing?
Through a structured route rather than on your own. If you're a graduate, an ex-forces veteran, or returning to work or changing career, pricing can be a hard door to get through alone. The Pathfinders™ Academy runs for 10 weeks, mostly online, through modules you work through at your own pace, live training and webinars with the pricing team, with some in-person days. Then you're deployed into a client pricing team.
We recruit STEM graduates, ex-armed forces veterans, and career returners and changers, selected for aptitude and attitude. If that's you, register your interest with your details and a CV. We will be in touch if you are a good fit for our next Academy.
Test it against your own pricing team gaps
If you lead a pricing team and want to test this against your own gaps, book a call with Anthony.
Frequently asked questions
Has the cooler UK jobs market made pricing roles easier to fill?
Not really. Overall hiring slowed in 2025, but pricing teams want a narrow mix of modelling, coding and commercial skills that few candidates have, so the shortage is still sharpest at junior to mid level.
Why are pricing hiring processes getting longer?
More interviews per offer and tougher technical screening. The risk is that strong candidates accept another offer before a decision is made.
How does recruit-train-deploy help in a slower market?
It doesn't depend on finding the perfect CV. People are recruited for aptitude, trained in pricing, then deployed on an initial contract, typically 24 months, with the option to take them on permanently.
Can early-career candidates apply without pricing experience?
Yes. We recruit STEM graduates, ex-armed forces veterans, and career returners and changers, selected for aptitude and attitude. The 10-week Pathfinders™ Academy teaches the pricing skills.