Preparing for a post-retirement workforce
MGAs have always been powered by experience in deep underwriting judgment, long-standing carrier relationships, and market nuances that distinguish their teams from the rest of the industry. But today, many MGAs are facing a growing challenge to capture the knowledge and expertise retiring employees have before it walks out the door with them.
Across MGAs and the larger insurance industry, retirements are accelerating. In 2026 alone, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 400,000 insurance professionals will retire by the end of the year and half of the current workforce to retire in the 10 years. While this shift has been known and discussed for years, it’s no longer a distant concern but an operational reality. The problem isn’t just filling open roles, though that is a factor. The real threat is the loss of knowledge, judgement, and continuity that retiring professionals take with them when they leave, as well as the risk of burnout for remaining employees trying to fill in the gaps.
A recent study of the MGA workforce conducted by Vertafore confirms what MGA leaders have been experiencing firsthand. The industry is approaching an inflection point with regards to demographics, and the window to adequately prepare is shrinking.
A demographic imbalance with real consequences
According to Vertafore’s survey, 67% of MGA professionals are age 44 or older, and 23% are over the age of 60. While these numbers on their own demonstrate a top-heavy distribution, it is the other end of the spectrum that raises the most concern. Fewer than 5% of respondents are under the age of 28, showing a widening gap for head count, experience, and client relationships.
For MGAs, this imbalance carries unique implications. Underwriting expertise is built over decades, not months. Much of what drives strong MGA performance, such as risk appetite nuance, carrier negotiation strategies, and broker trust, resides in individuals—not systems. When these individuals retire, replacing their judgment isn’t as simple as hiring new underwriters.
MGAs are recruiting but success remains uneven
Data shows strong hiring intent across the market, yet attracting experienced, licensed, and tech-savvy talent is proving difficult. As a result, more MGAs (28%) are hiring from outside insurance and investing in training from the ground up.
This approach can be effective, but only if it is paired with the right structure. As MGAs widen their talent pool, it becomes their responsibility to ensure adequate industry knowledge and ramp-up through training and mentorship. It will be crucial to capture as much knowledge and expertise as possible while the experienced leaders are still working. Even with proper support, however, new hires will face longer onboarding timelines as they try to get a grasp of not just the industry but their specific markets and products.
Headcount is one factor, but simply bolstering team size will not result in continued success for MGAs. Capability gaps will persist unless they can capture the nuanced knowledge of their senior leaders and mentor new hires into competent industry professionals.
Prepare now to protect remaining employees from burnout
Beyond documenting experience and knowledge, MGAs need to have a plan in place that supports the employees that will be taking on the workload and responsibilities of those retiring. When mid-career professionals are asked to absorb undocumented knowledge, mentor newer employees, and keep daily operations running, it will make that transition easier to digest if they feel protected from burnout.
It’s a good warning for MGAs who may be hesitant to prepare for this generational shift. Succession planning that simply moves responsibility downward can increase burnout rather than resilience. If MGAs want continuity, they must balance succession plans with realistic workloads, better documentation, and tools that reduce manual effort, such as knowledge management software. Plus, if seasoned teams are strained, new hires may be less optimistic about building a career in the MGA space, which could thin long-term employee pools.
One MGA leader noted in their survey response that, “When my generation retires, there will be a huge loss of knowledge in the industry.” That loss could become even more disruptive if the next generation is already stretched thin. Fortunately, it seems many MGAs are sensitive to this issue, as remote or hybrid work environments, enhanced benefits and perks, and flexible working hours were among the top ranked talent retention strategies being used today.
When my generation retires, there will be a huge loss of knowledge in the industry.”
- MGA President/Owner
What forward-looking MGAs are doing differently with their workforce
While the loss of a significant portion of MGA leaders and experts can’t be avoided, the damages can be mitigated through prudent and extensive action:
Codify institutional knowledge early
High-performing MGAs are documenting underwriting guidelines, exception handling, and program logic while senior leaders are still active. Mentorship and cross-training are becoming formal business practices as well, as not all of this knowledge can be recorded.
Expand the talent lens
With a limited pool of insurance-trained candidates, MGAs are recruiting from adjacent backgrounds like operations, finance, and data, and then pairing those hires with structured onboarding and enablement.
Reduce friction for mid-career leaders
Rather than relying on heroics, MGAs are investing in workflow improvements and automation to offload routine tasks, freeing experienced professionals to focus on higher-value work and leadership development. This has an added effect of fostering a positive and balanced workplace culture.
Treat technology as part of the employee value proposition
Modern systems, intuitive workflows, and reduced manual effort increasingly influence where talent chooses to work and stay for long-term development. MGAs that invest not only in their employees but in the tools they use every day will build loyalty and buy-in from their workforce.
MGAs can overcome workforce challenges with strategic investments
The retirement wave facing MGAs is unavoidable, but the disruption that follows is not.
MGAs that act now to capture institutional knowledge, protect mid-career teams from burnout, and modernize their systems to reduce manual workloads, can turn this demographic headache into a long-term advantage. Those that wait risk losing not just people, but the expertise and relationships that define their value in the market.
The next generation of MGA leadership is already stepping up, and new waves of interested employees are out there. The question is whether the industry is giving them the tools, knowledge, and runway they need to succeed.