What the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting Revealed About Actuarial Hiring

This year’s CAS Annual Meeting brought together P&C actuaries, analytics leaders, hiring managers, and industry innovators for three days of discussion on the future of actuarial work. To understand what matters most to today’s talent and employers, we gathered insights from the Selby Jennings Insurance team, who attended the event and spoke with attendees across all career stages.

Representing Selby Jennings’ 55-person insurance team, consultants Mary Miller, Serena Helou, Lauren Hankins, and Victor Harris, engaged with roughly 250 to 300 actuaries during the conference. Their takeaways reveal clear shifts in candidate expectations and employer hiring priorities as we move into 2026. 

What actuaries care about heading into 2026

Across hundreds of conversations, one theme stood out above all: flexibility and work-life balance remain the top priorities for actuarial professionals.

Actuaries continue to seek hybrid arrangements, and many are willing to pursue new opportunities if flexibility is reduced. While some employers are transitioning back toward more in-office expectations, many candidates shared concerns about fully on-site roles, citing family commitments, relocation barriers, or cost-of-living constraints. Beyond flexibility, actuaries are increasingly looking for roles that offer:

• Exposure to analytics, data science, InsurTech, and advanced modeling
• Opportunities to contribute to broader business strategy
• Clear growth paths, mentorship, and support for exam progression

As Serena noted, “Actuaries want roles that expose them to data science and analytics - they’re looking to stay ahead of the curve.” With competition for niche talent at an all-time high, employers offering this level of development have an advantage.

What employers are prioritizing

The consultants also observed several employer-side themes that hiring teams should be preparing for:

Why the CAS Annual Meeting continues to be valuable

For many on the Selby Jennings team, this year’s CAS meeting underscored how impactful in-person engagement is for building trust in the actuarial community. Several consultants shared that meeting candidates and clients face-to-face deepens understanding of their career goals and hiring challenges.

Mary highlighted how rewarding it was to reconnect with actuaries she has supported throughout their journeys, while Lauren emphasized how meaningful it was to meet individuals she has known for years over phone and email. Across the team, the sentiment was the same: these conversations help us stay attuned to what both sides of the market need most.

How Selby Jennings supports actuarial hiring and career growth

With a dedicated actuarial recruitment team covering life, health, property and casualty, and the growing actuarial financial operations space, Selby Jennings partners with organizations navigating talent shortages, market shifts, and evolving skill requirements.

Whether companies are building new teams, expanding into new product lines, or competing for niche technical expertise, our consultants provide data-driven insights, streamlined search processes, and access to a broad network of specialized actuarial talent.

If you are looking for guidance on the current actuarial talent market or need support securing high-impact actuarial professionals, you can request a call back or submit a vacancy and our team will be in touch.