This top five carriers had a total sales increase of 14 percent for 2017 as compared to 2016. (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to our annual U.S. Voluntary/Worksite Sales Report, new business annualized premium (voluntary sales) increased at a rate of almost 7 percent again in 2017, while total sales for the year were $8.145 billion.

Inforce premium increased about 3.2 percent in 2017 to an estimated $42.3 billion.

In next month's column, we'll look at voluntary sales results by product line and product platform.

The annual U.S. Voluntary/Worksite Sales Report is the industry's most comprehensive and reliable source of data on voluntary/worksite sales and inforce premium. This year's study includes data from 1997 through 2017 and detailed results for over 60 carriers. The report is available only to carriers participating in the survey. For more information about participating in next year's survey, contact us at [email protected].