Microsoft and Insurity released a new study earlier this week on "Millennials and Insurance," showing a strong relationship between the IT capabilities of an employer and the ability to recruit younger workers. This is an urgent issue for the insurance industry, which faces a shortage of new workers; 60 percent of its current employees are older than age 45.

According to the study, which surveyed more than 700 young people in the US and Canada born 1980-1990, 91 percent of millennials stated that being able to work with “newer, innovative technologies” in the workplace would make them more likely to consider a potential job opportunity. Other drivers included the ability to telecommute or work from home (77 percent); flexible work schedules and locations (91 percent); and opportunities to work on collaborative team projects (72 percent). As consumers, Millennials say they want to the opportunity to communicate with their insurance company using online technology such as integrated Web portals, instant messaging, live chat, blogs and mobile alerts, which few carriers currently support.