Aon hunts job market for niche skill sets as attrition slows

Global re/insurance broker  Aon may have knocked the staff departure rate to new lows and can focus its talent acquisition on hunting niche skillsets.

Staffing metrics are “about as strong as you can get,” CEO Greg Case (pictured) told his company’s Q1 earnings call. “We’ve been fortunate … we have exceptionally high retention.” He puts voluntary attrition at levels below those seen pre-covid.

Holding the line on current staff means regearing HR towards hunting for niche skillsets on the open market, then investing to infuse those new skills throughout the organisation.

“Where we are investing in talent is really where we see the business going over the next couple of years: client ESG, resilience, cyber,” Case said. “Areas that have required deep expertise.”

“We are investing in new types of talent for sure but it also means .... developing our colleagues,” Case said. “Once you get them in the firm, the key is delivering the Aon United strategy - how do you bring them together?”

While Case is more than willing to brag of reduced staff outflow, incoming headcounts remain largely under wraps. “We don’t talk about headcount per se,” Case told analysts. “That is not how we think about talent.”

“Adding someone is very different than developing organisational capability.”

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