The good news that March employment numbers from theDepartment of Labor are on the upswing is echoed by the announcement that Northwestern Mutual, the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance company according to FORTUNE® magazine, is actively seeking to add more than 2,000 financial representatives and 2,500 interns to its field force in 2011.

Northwestern was ranked No. 26 by American College and Howard University in its 2011 listing of the 100 best employers for 2011 graduates in Diversity Employers magazine. Financial professionals are in high demand. Even as the overall economy recovers slowly, Northwestern Mutual offices are recruiting and training financial representatives and interns at a fast pace.

According to Steven C. Mannebach, Northwestern Mutual vice president of agency development, “We are at one of those unique points in American history when people recognize the distinct value of financial security, and are therefore seeking the kind of guidance and products that Northwestern Mutual has been delivering for more than a century and a half. Parallel to that, we are a nation that is prioritizing job creation. Those two roads – the desire for financial security and the goal of putting America back to work – converge in our major recruiting effort, and represent a great opportunity for a rewarding career with us.”

Career changers find new success. Northwestern Mutual expects that more than half of its new financial representatives will be professionals who believe that they have reached the ceiling in their current occupation and are looking for an opportunity to grow. In addition, as people may have been laid off from previous jobs, more individuals see the advantage of developing their own practice as a financial representative.

Northwestern Mutual is a top-rated platform for career launch and growth. The company is ranked highly by Glassdoor.com,  Selling Power magazineBloomberg BusinessWeek, Diversity Employers magazine and Vault.

For more information on trends in hiring at Northwestern Mutual, or to speak with Steven C. Mannebach, please contact Janet Falk at 718-875-7269 or jfalk@theneibartgroup.com