There is growing recognition of the importance of financial security in the workplace in the GCC, with the average age of those with income protection falling to 41 from 51 over the last three years, according to Zurich International Life Insurance Middle East, a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group.
In Zurich's '2025 Corporate Customer Report', which is based on a three-year data set from 2022 to 2024 of corporate customer claims, the insurer's head of Corporate Life & Pensions Business, Middle East, Mr Rob Brown, says that this trend shows that more organisations are understanding how supporting employees through tough times helps create a stronger and more resilient workforce.
The report is based on data from Bahrain and the UAE, and reinsurance in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
Over the past three years, Zurich paid out over $46.7m in compensation for life and disability insurance claims under its group insurance plans across five GCC countries, highlighting the growing importance of these financial benefits across the region. It says that one in five claims paid out over the period were for disability benefits. Of the total disability claims paid, 32% were for temporary total disability; 31% for permanent partial or total disability and 37% for income protection.
Among claimants, the average age for the different types of claims was:
- 39 for accidental death;
- 40 for temporary total disability
- 41 for income protection
- 46 for permanent total disability
- 47 for group life
Zurich’s head of Sales & Distribution, Corporate Life & Pensions Business, Middle East, Ms Swarnaleka Shetty, said in the report, “Many of these claims come at critical moments—whether it is paying for higher education or managing mortgage payments."