Nationwide Insurance to Hire 1,400, Including 600 in Ohio

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. announced it will fill 1,400 job openings, including about 600 in its home state of Ohio.

The Columbus-based insurance and financial services company is recruiting for entry-level customer service and claim service positions in central Ohio and Canton, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; San Antonio and Amarillo, Texas; and Lynchburg, Va., said spokesman Joe Case.

The company said in a news release that it seeks employees to “support the company’s business demands.”

The announcement came as Nationwide reported first quarter net income of $396 million compared to a net loss of $106 million during the same quarter a year ago. Total revenue in the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 3 percent from a year ago. Nationwide said the improvement was evidence of a recovery in equity and credit market conditions.

“Our first quarter performance clearly highlights continued momentum across our businesses, and reflects the strength and diversity of our insurance and financial services franchise,” Chief Executive Steve Rasmussen said. “We’re working hard every day to make sure we are there for our customers when they need us most – today and well into the future.”

The national unemployment rate was at 9.7 percent in March, remaining unchanged from February as payrolls grew by 162,000, the biggest gain in three years. Ohio’s unemployment rate was 11 percent, the state’s highest since September 1983, with 655,000 workers jobless.

In April 2009, Nationwide laid off 480 employees and contractors across the country, part of about 3,000 jobs it had eliminated nationally over two years. The company said Wednesday that it sought a year ago to fill about 600 positions. Case said the layoffs were mainly in information technology, with the hiring being in other areas.

The company said it employed about 33,000 people at the end of 2009. Case said about 11,000 were in Ohio, mostly in the central part of the state.