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Professional liability market set to firm modestly in 2026, underwriting head says
The EPLI market is estimated at about $4 to $5 billion in the U.S., and is expected to expand at high single digits year over year.
Risk & Insurance reports that Mike Sisk, Senior Vice President and Division Head of M&PL Underwriting at Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), expects the employment practices liability insurance, or EPLI, market to firm modestly in 2026 after stabilizing over the past six to 12 months.
Sisk said the U.S. EPLI market is currently estimated at roughly $4 to $5 billion and has been growing at high single digits year over year, while capacity has entered the market since the soft market period that began in the latter half of 2022 and continued through the end of 2025.
He pointed to several forces behind the outlook, including employment litigation returning to pre-pandemic levels, higher legal defense costs as inflation has affected day to day expenses, and attorney rates that he said are also not immune to inflation.
Sisk also cited workplace regulatory changes, including pay transparency, DEI related issues, and managing hybrid work environments, along with ongoing social inflation, and he said AI is affecting workplace reductions in the overall labor market and creating additional workplace liability concerns.