Magnifying Glass
Back to Expert Analysis

New from NCCI: Labor Market Insights and Adverse Weather & Impact on WC Claims

13 Feb, 2026 NCCI

                               

New from NCCI: Labor Market Insights and Adverse Weather (both hot and cold temperatures) and Impact on WC Claims:

Labor Market Insights -- full report

  1. The economy added a robust 130,000 jobs overall and 172,000 jobs in the private sector to begin 2026. Both numbers vastly exceeded economists’ expectations. The 3-month average of private sector employment growth was 103,000.

At an industry level, employment growth in January was still largely concentrated in health care, adding 123,500 of the 172,000 private sector employment gain. However, January also saw strong gains of 34,000 in professional services and 33,000 in construction, both key areas for workers compensation premium.

  1. January saw a second consecutive decrease in the unemployment rate while prime age labor force participation rose to its highest level since January 2000. These data points may be an early signal that the labor market is starting to strengthen.

Annual Benchmark Revisions: This report also incorporated the benchmark revisions that were announced in August of last year. The final revisions lowered employment between April 2024 to March 2025 by 862,000. This brought full year employment gains for 2024 from 2m to 1.5m and for 2025 from 584,000 to just 181,000. With an average of 15,000 jobs added per month, 2025 was the slowest pace of employment growth outside of a recession since 2003.

Big Picture: A strong start to 2026 for the labor market overall, however recent revisions have been skewed to the downside, suggesting more information will be needed before we gain more confidence in a labor market rebound.

Adverse Weather and WC Claims With Patrick Coate - State of the Line Podcast

NCCI expert Patrick Coate joins the State of the Line Podcast to provide an in-depth look at how adverse weather conditions (both hot and cold temperatures) can affect work injuries and, therefore, workers compensation claims.

  • AI california case file caselaw case management case management focus claims compensability compliance compliance corner courts covid do you know the rule employers exclusive remedy florida glossary check Healthcare hr homeroom insurance insurers iowa leadership NCCI new jersey new york ohio pennsylvania roadmap Safety safety at work state info tech technology texas violence WDYT west virginia what do you think women's history women's history month workers' comp 101 workers' recovery Workplace Safety Workplace Violence

    • Read Also

    Physician Dispensing in Workers’ Comp: A Costly Loophole—and How to Close It 

    “Up to 50% More Profit” -- BRP Pharmaceuticals  “Bypass the PBM System” -- A-S Medication Solutions  Physician dispensing—the practice of physicians providing medications directly from their offices rather than through licensed pharmacies—has evolved into a commercial model that […]
    Ignorance is Bliss? Not When You’re the Injured Worker 

    On Feb. 3, 2022, my world was turned upside down, literally. During the lunch break at a national physical therapy conference, I stepped into a crosswalk covered in a mysterious phenomenon (to a Florida gal) called […]
    Opportunity or Threat: An Employer’s Immediate Request for Bodily Fluids in Compensation Claims 

    Introduction:  Steve Jobs said, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat.” Every day, new ideas are proffered for the progression of society. However, there must be checks and balances to determine whether this innovation is opportunity or […]

    About The Author

    • NCCI

    More by This Author

    New NCCI Analysis Reveals Shift in Large Claim Emergence Patterns

    WHAT:NCCI has released new research examining how large workers compensation claims are emerging over time - specifically the changing balance between fast‑emerging and slow‑emerging large claims. The analysis shows that while overall large claim frequency has declined, a growing […]
    NCCI Releases Update on Aggregate Measures of General and Medical Inflation

    General Inflation Trends Workers Compensation Weighted Medical Price Index – NCCI’s index that’s more reflective of workers compensation medical costs. Healthcare affordability has been a popular issue in the news and has been a target of […]
    NCCI’s Labor Market Insights – December 2025

    The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released combined employment data for October and November on December 16. Due to the government shutdown, some October data could not be collected. Technical Note: The BLS will return […]

    Read More

    Physician Dispensing in Workers’ Comp: A Costly Loophole—and How to Close It 

    “Up to 50% More Profit” -- BRP Pharmaceuticals  “Bypass the PBM System” -- A-S Medication Solutions  Physician dispensing—the practice of physicians providing medications directly from their offices rather than through licensed pharmacies—has evolved into a commercial model that […]
    Ignorance is Bliss? Not When You’re the Injured Worker 

    On Feb. 3, 2022, my world was turned upside down, literally. During the lunch break at a national physical therapy conference, I stepped into a crosswalk covered in a mysterious phenomenon (to a Florida gal) called […]
    Opportunity or Threat: An Employer’s Immediate Request for Bodily Fluids in Compensation Claims 

    Introduction:  Steve Jobs said, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat.” Every day, new ideas are proffered for the progression of society. However, there must be checks and balances to determine whether this innovation is opportunity or […]
    New NCCI Analysis Reveals Shift in Large Claim Emergence Patterns

    WHAT:NCCI has released new research examining how large workers compensation claims are emerging over time - specifically the changing balance between fast‑emerging and slow‑emerging large claims. The analysis shows that while overall large claim frequency has declined, a growing […]
    Steps to Prevent Foot and Ankle Injuries from Becoming Complex Claims 

    By Kim Radcliffe, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Enlyte Foot and ankle injuries are among the most common musculoskeletal conditions in workers’ compensation, making up 10-15% of all claims. In some high-risk industries, such as construction, […]
    NCCI Releases Update on Aggregate Measures of General and Medical Inflation

    General Inflation Trends Workers Compensation Weighted Medical Price Index – NCCI’s index that’s more reflective of workers compensation medical costs. Healthcare affordability has been a popular issue in the news and has been a target of […]