While Others Lay Off Due to AI, Progressive Is Hiring Because of It

“We’re going all in on something key to all of us: this long-term striving for developing and advancing our careers,” said Neil Lenane, Business Leader of Talent Acquisition at Progressive Insurance.

That focus on internal growth and the infrastructure needed to support it helps explain why Progressive is one of the few major U.S. employers actively expanding headcount in 2025. The company plans to hire more than 12,000 employees this year, up from 10,000 in 2024. While much of the country’s job market remains cautious, the Ohio-based insurance company is scaling its workforce to match a sharp uptick in business and using AI to manage the surge in talent acquisition.

According to Lenane, the growth is largely demand-driven. Progressive added more than five million policies last year and grew net premiums by 21% to $74.4 billion. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 1.3 million new policies. About 5,000 of this year’s new hires will be focused on handling that growth, primarily in claims and customer service, two functions that make up more than half of the company’s workforce.

“We’re always making sure that we have folks to handle claims or replace people who’ve moved into training or leadership roles,” Lenane said in an interview with HR Brew. “It’s a continuous cycle.”