Need a job? JoCo insurance firm will hire some 500 people — many at $80,000 per year
Insurance company SelectQuote plans to hire 1,000 people across the country in the coming months, including some 500 positions in the Kansas City metro area.
That news couldn’t come at a better time for many Kansas City-area workers who have been put out of a job as the U.S. economy grinds to a halt in effort to combat the global coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Kansas officials announced unemployment claims spiked 600% over a single week.
Yet some firms are still hiring. Pizza chains Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut announced plans to hire more than 50,000 people across the country. Likewise, grocery delivery company Instacart wants to hire 300,000 people to meet growing demand for home delivery. Locally, grocery chain Hy-Vee is seeking temporary, part-time workers across its eight state region.
Anythony Fasl, a SelectQuote executive in Kansas City, says the firm had been planning to hire an additional 1,000 workers this year well before the pandemic. But now that other companies are shedding staff, it hopes to provide new opportunities for those out of work.
“We’ve got plenty of jobs and plenty of opportunities for those that are displaced from service industries,” he said. “Many of our roles are customer service related. So we do have the ability to help out folks who are looking for employment.”
Fasl expects about half of the company’s 1,000 new positions to be filled in Overland Park. The company is seeking applicants for the first round of May start dates, he said. SelectQuote is particularly looking to fill insurance sales positions — which pay an average of $80,000 per year.
The company has qualified for state tax benefits through the Kansas High Performance Incentive Program, though it’s unclear how much of an award it will receive.
Founded in 1985, SelectQuote provides life, auto and home insurance products. Much of its recent growth has come through its division that offers Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement products. That market may be somewhat insulated from what many predict will be a pandemic-fueled economic recession.
“About 10,000 seniors qualify on a daily basis for Medicare,” Fasl says. “It’s tough to speculate on the impact of that, but it is continuing to be a growing population.”
The insurance sales positions will require the highest skill level, but he says the company is looking for workers with a variety of skills and work experience. He said the company was working with state regulators on ways to address insurance licensure during this time of uncertainty.
For now, SelectQuote plans to interview applicants remotely.
“From a Kansas City area perspective, we do anticipate these jobs would move from remote to our physical office in the Kansas City market,” he said. “Obviously, we’re not really sure in terms of timing of when that will happen.”
