Group calls for action on subsidence claims skills gap

Specialist claims management provider Claims Consortium Group has written an open letter to the UK education sector in response to the widening skills gap in the subsidence claims sector.

The move is designed to attract new talent to a sector set to witness more demand due to an increase subsidence surge events.

Existing skills shortages have already resulted in wage inflation and recruitment challenges across the claims management industry, with insurers increasingly expressing concern over future capacity.

Steven Coxon, head of subsidence claims at Claims Consortium Group, said: “It would be great if the wider insurance market, including our competitors, mirrored our initiative, as other sectors have shown that capturing the interest of students early on in their careers can make a real difference.

“Our approach also supports the ongoing work of the cross-industry specialist interest group the Subsidence Forum, which has been raising concerns over future skills for a few years.”

A growing threat

Subsidence surge events have become more common, with the increase in claims volumes starting earlier this year and damage spread across broader geographies.

Following claims spikes in 2018 and 2022, this year’s surge event will be the third in the last seven years. 

According to the ABI, subsidence-related insurance claims totalled £153m in H1 2025, with the average payout per claim standing at £17,264. 

Addressing the rising demand for skilled claims professionals as subsidence-related claims escalate, Coxon added: “There is a real need for the insurance sector to invest now in initiatives to attract and train the subsidence claims managers, field surveyors and technical experts of the future to ensure the insurance market can continue to respond and support policyholders, before, during and after future subsidence events.”