Actuarial Recruitment in 2025 and Outlook for 2026
Recruitment Trends in 2025
The actuarial job market in 2025 remained active but shifted in character compared to the rapid hiring surge seen in earlier years:
Steady Demand with Selective Growth
Demand for actuarial professionals continued across traditional insurance employers (life, P&C, health) but with a growing emphasis on specialized skillsets. We had a high demand for pricing actuaries on the P&C side, however most of the roles tend to be less pricing and more data / machine learning focused. What we observed is that areas seem to slowly merge with other expertise, or broader backgrounds become a bit more popular due to more demands of the roles.
Besides Pricing, we also saw a surge in data scientists with actuarial domain knowledge in need, and a continued search for capital and risk model actuaries, as well as for Reserving specialists comfortable with predictive techniques.
Hybrid and Remote Capabilities and Competitive Credentialing
The set-up of the workplace is still important for 2025. Remote and hybrid work models became standard for many actuarial teams, broadening geographic recruitment reach but increasing competition for top talent.
Besides the set-up, we can also see a continued focus on lifelong learning and an increase of valuing associateships and fellowships as well as additional training in analytics, programming (Python/R) and cloud computing.
Salary and Total Rewards Dynamics
While base salary growth was moderate relative to 2023–24 peaks, many employers enhanced benefits tied to career development pathways, flexible working arrangements, and project-based incentives to attract and retain actuarial talent.
Expectations for Actuarial Recruitment in 2026
Continued Demand, Especially in Growth Areas
Within actuarial recruitment, we don’t see much of the demand changing, more of a change of focus for selective areas. Due to changes in regulation, we expect more enterprise risk management roles as insurers expand their risk frameworks. Due to the continuous developments globally, we also are likely to see growth within the need of catastrophe and climate risk modelling specialists.
Candidates who are comfortable with data analytics and AI governance backgrounds will continue to be in demand, bridging actuarial and tech functions.
Actuarial roles are increasingly interdisciplinary, integrating finance, data science, and regulatory modelling.
Emphasis on Upskilling and Continuous Development and Strategic Talent Pipelines
Actuarial leaders will prioritize learning ecosystems within organizations - internships, apprenticeships, internal rotational programs, and sponsored certification pathways - to accelerate capability building in emerging domains.
We also anticipate employers to deepen engagement with university actuarial programs and apprenticeships focused on analytics and predictive modelling.
Conclusion
For actuaries, 2025 was less about headline growth and more about navigating evolving risks, strengthening technical frameworks, and integrating data with actuarial science. The actuarial job market has reflected this shift, with demand anchored in analytics, risk modelling, and strategic functions. As we move into 2026, actuaries positioned at the intersection of traditional actuarial practice and emerging technologies will be best placed to add value and lead their organisations through complexity.
Get in touch with the author
Sarah Schadek-Keane
Managing Director | International Actuarial
T: +49 (0)170 7335605
sarah.schadek-keane@emerald-group.com
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Also visit https://www.emerald-group.com