Written by Robert Higgins, Senior Claims Manager, Cirencester Friendly Society
Over the recent weeks and months, I’ve had several conversations with Advisers where they are struggling to explain how providers approach workers with more than one job. This is not a new issue but one that’s more prevalent today.
As more Generation Z workers enter the workforce, the number holding multiple occupations is rising. According to the latest quarterly labour market data (Oct–Dec 2025) from the ONS, 1.29 million people in the UK, around 3.8% of the employed population have a second job.
There is no industry fix where all providers adopt the same approach, that much is clear, but what Advisers and Providers should look to do is work together to improve understanding, consistency and client understanding both at underwriting and claim.
Charlotte Rogers, Protection Specialist at Radcliffe & Co, explains:
“It’s really challenging to explain to potential customers how providers deal with dual occupations at application and claim stage, as most providers say it depends on the individual.”
While individualised assessment is understandable, she believes greater consistency across providers would make advice clearer and simpler for clients.
This raises key questions for Income Protection providers: should cover be based on the higher-risk occupation, priced on the primary occupation only, split according to hours worked, or simply disregard secondary roles?
Sue Kissane, Underwriting Manager at Cirencester Friendly, notes:
“The approach depends heavily on the nature of the second occupation and the risk it presents. Every application is different. Our goal is to provide cover that best meets the customer’s needs. We recognise this can make explanations harder for advisers, but we also have a duty to underwrite accurately and avoid giving unclear or misleading information”
This highlights the problem for advisers: provider approaches are highly individualised, making it difficult to communicate the process. Clear guidance is essential. Advisers must ensure clients understand that different occupations carry different risks—for example, a full-time office worker who works weekends as a labourer may spend most of their time in a low-risk role, but the higher-risk occupation still heavily influences underwriting decisions. Which one is more likely to cause an injury which prevents them from working?
How could advisers bridge the gap between underwriting complexity and client understanding?
Perhaps by:
- Set expectations early, explain there is no ‘industry standard’
- Clarify what is being insured, one or all occupations
- Document dual occupations, hourly split, income received, requirements of the role
- Use real scenarios to bring the cover to life, shifting the conversation from theory to practical situations.
- Ensure a regular review of cover, to ensure the ongoing cover is fit for purpose
Providers can also support advisers and clients in several ways:
- Provide clear guidance: Use role-specific examples to illustrate how dual occupations are assessed.
- Offer standardised frameworks: Even with individual assessments, frameworks for common occupation combinations can help advisers explain likely outcomes.
- Enhance training and tools: Resource libraries can equip advisers to navigate dual-occupation scenarios confidently.
- Communicate consistently: Ensure all materials clearly explain the importance of disclosing secondary occupations and their potential impact on cover.
- Encourage early disclosure: Prompt clients to declare all occupations at application to avoid surprises at claim.
By adopting these measures, advisers and providers can make dual occupation underwriting more transparent, allow the adviser to explain the process with confidence, and ultimately improve customer trust in Income Protection.
It’s important that advisers and providers talk regularly about what different providers offer as the dual occupation trend is not going away and will likely be a topic of many more protection conversations to come.
ONS Stats reference link: Employment in the UK – Office for National Statistics
