The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) published a new Industry Trends Report, which allows users to view and analyze countrywide workers’ comp results at an industry level. The report includes frequency and severity results – both adjusted and not adjusted to a common wage level.

This report helps provide a comprehensive view of the evolving workers’ comp landscape, including claims trends and industry-specific insights.

While claim frequency continues to decline across all industries, Construction saw the steepest drop since 2015, while Transportation & Warehousing remained flat. A combination of Construction, Manufacturing, and Combined Office made up nearly 60% of total premiums. Construction’s share of premiums is growing, while Manufacturing’s is declining.

Lost time claim severity is decreasing, with wage growth outpacing medical inflation, helping to moderate medical costs. However, trends fluctuate across industries as to whether benefit costs are rising faster or slower than wages, critical for understanding cost pressures.

The report noted that an increase in small claims can raise frequency while lowering average severity. Additionally, heavy pandemic-related disruptions to the Leisure & Hospitality industry from 2020-2021 has since stabilized.