Actuarial Hot Topics in 2024: Interview with Sarah Schadek-Keane
Which topics does Emerald Group feel will be relevant for actuaries in 2024?
There are a few topics that will (continue to) be relevant for 2024. Cyber will continue to be a risk that needs assessing and rating due to the increased ransomware and supply chain attacks that hit the headlines last year on a global scale. Optimising data, AI and analytics will also be relevant and will show who will drive the industry in the years to come, and customer satisfaction that is connected to digitalisation will continue to be a topic this year. Areas like energy or motor will also continue to develop and will need to make adjustments due to external developments. Health care and changing demographics will also be topics to look at due to the increased costs in these sectors.
Which challenges and opportunities do you expect for employers and employees?
For employers, it will still be a challenge to attract employees due to a shortage of talent/professionals in the field, so talent retention through communication and appreciation will need to be a focus for them. It will be important for employers to prepare development opportunities (through internal and external training etc.) and to offer a clear career path for their staff to make sure employees won’t change to a competitor.
For employees, the challenge will be to continue learning and to get better at programming as well as analyzing data as this will become more and more relevant in all areas of actuarial science and risk. Flexibility will also be an initial career booster as assignments abroad will be essential to gain an opportunity in leadership positions; the same goes for project-based work on the side where employees can gain an initial opportunity to lead a team for a period of time.
On which central topics and services for the actuarial community will Emerald Group be focussing this year? Please elaborate.
We will continue to look at what actuaries at the start of their career are looking for to give some guidance to the clients we work with as well as provide career advice to this group. We will also focus on giving advice on external training and on the route into leadership as well as expert functions and supporting international relocation, should this be the aim of our clientele.