MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio (AP) -- Auto insurer Progressive Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to hire 1,106 new employees at its call centers in five states for jobs ranging from sales, service and claims.
The hiring spree is a response to rising customer demand, said John Hoppes, Progressive's national employment director.
"We continue to add policyholders for our auto business, and because of that we need some really strong quality folks," Hoppes said.
Between now and July, the company is looking to add 185 positions in Austin, Texas; 337 in Cleveland; 129 in Colorado Springs, Colo.; 65 in Phoenix; and 390 in Tampa, Fla.
Hoppes said Progressive didn't have any job cuts at its call centers in the last few years as the U.S. economy soured, but hiring did slow until about mid-2010.
Last week, the Mayfield, Ohio company reported that its fourth-quarter profit declined 14 percent from a year earlier to $256.7 million on smaller investment gains. But net premiums earned, the portion of premiums it earns when policies expire, rose 4 percent to $3.78 billion, while net premiums written, a measure of the value of all new and renewal policies sold during the period, increased 8 percent to $3.54 billion.
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