Comparison of pre- and post-pandemic workers compensation data shows effects of changing workforce demographics
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), one of the country's largest workers compensation insurers, today published its 2025 Injury Impact Report, which compared workers compensation data from the five years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic with the next five years. The analysis of more than 2.6 million claims submitted during that time found that while the number of workplace injuries overall continues to decline, the costs associated with them are climbing.
"Over the past decade, we've seen three trends intensify: increasing retirement ages, ongoing employee turnover and longer injury recovery times," said Rich Ives, Senior Vice President of Business Insurance Claim at Travelers. "Our aim with this report is to provide employers with insights on these dynamics that are contributing to growing claim severity so they can better navigate these workforce challenges, protect their employees and keep their businesses running."
Decreasing Workers Compensation Claim Frequency
The report found that the frequency of workplace injuries overall has declined over the past decade. Travelers examined 1.2 million workers compensation claims received during the past five years, down from 1.4 million from 2015 through 2019.
Workplace Turnover and First-Year Employees
There were many shifts in the workplace over the last 10 years, including continued job churn during and after the pandemic. This created a steady stream of new employees, who are among the most vulnerable to injury.
The report found that employees in their first year on the job accounted for approximately 36% of injuries and 34% of overall claim costs during the last five years. This is an increase from the prior five years, when 34% of injuries and 32% of overall claim costs were attributed to new employees.
An Aging Workforce
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2033, approximately 24% of employees will be age 55 or older – up from 15% in 2003. Travelers has seen the volume of claims involving older employees rise in line with this shift.
During the past five years, employees aged 50 or older made up 41% of the injured employee population, and those 60 and above represented 16%. This is up from 39% and 13%, respectively, when compared with data from 2015 through 2019. This trend is significant because older employees – while typically injured less frequently than their younger counterparts – tend to require longer recovery times and have more costly claims.
Lengthier Recovery Times
From 2020 through 2024, employees missed an average of 80 workdays per injury – an increase of more than seven days when compared with the previous five-year period. Injured employees aged 60 and above were out of work due to workplace injuries for nearly 97 days, almost 17 more days than the overall average and an increase of 14 days from pre-pandemic years.
Risk Management and Employee Safety Strategies
With proper precautions, many workplace injuries can be prevented. Travelers Workforce Advantage® is the company's comprehensive approach to helping businesses manage employee safety by focusing on three key areas:
- Onboarding and training employees to establish safe work practices.
- Creating a culture of safety by supporting and engaging employees.
- Managing workplace accidents and injuries through the Travelers Corridor of Care® post-injury management process.
"By examining claim data, which includes information such as injury frequency, severity and causes, we can provide guidance to employers across multiple industries to anticipate future risks and implement preventive strategies," said Chris Hayes, Assistant Vice President of Workers Compensation and Transportation, Risk Control, at Travelers. "Taking these steps can help employees feel valued and supported, which is key to maintaining a motivated, safe and healthy workforce."
Additional findings from the 2025 Injury Impact Report can be found at Travelers.com/InjuryImpactReport. For best practices on creating safer workspaces, visit the Workplace Safety Resources page on the company's website.
About the 2025 Injury Impact Report
Travelers analyzed more than 2.6 million workers compensation claims submitted over the past 10 years from a variety of industries and business sizes to identify trends in worker safety. Findings were based solely on indemnity claims, where the injured employees could not immediately return to work and incurred medical costs.
About Travelers
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers has more than 30,000 employees and generated revenues of more than $46 billion in 2024. For more information, visit Travelers.com.
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