A deep dive into barriers to recruiting black entry-level talent There is a misperception that diversity initiatives are unnecessary in the actuarial profession. As the thinking goes, we are a pure meritocracy, where a blind examination system ensures that talent is the only barrier to entry. However, the recent spotlight on diversity has made it …
Continue reading “False Positives: Avoiding Pitfalls in Your Diversity Hiring”
With its examination-based credentialing process, the Casualty Actuarial Society would seem to have created the perfect meritocracy: If you are smart and work hard, the thinking goes, you will pass the exams, get your credential and have a successful actuarial career. Not quite, unfortunately. Several barriers to success — before, during and after the exam …
Continue reading “Opening the Door to Diversity and Inclusion”
In a new study conducted on behalf of the Society of Actuaries (SOA), the Actuarial Foundation, the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), and the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA), respondents were asked to consider the statement “The actuarial profession is not as diverse as it should be.” The majority of respondents — 83 percent of …
Continue reading “New Report Holds Keys to Diversity and Inclusion: Five Barriers Revealed”
The following is an excerpt from Nancy Braithwaite’s Presidential Address given at the CAS Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California on November 6, 2017. I don’t like change. I admit it. Many of us are not comfortable with change; it’s natural. Yet, I’ve spent my year thinking about change; it’s unavoidable. And, I’m going to spend …
Continuing on my theme of change, let’s talk about the strategic advantages that come with diversity. These strategic advantages benefit our employers, the actuarial profession, and each of us personally. We are all more comfortable being with people who are similar to us. It’s natural, and sometimes it can be easy. It’s not always easy …
Continue reading “Diversity as an Advantage in a Changing World”
Diversity and inclusion initiatives have become increasingly important to strengthening employee retention and engagement, boosting recruitment and fostering innovation, according to a panel of company representatives who shared their views on diversity in the insurance industry at the 2016 CAS Annual Meeting in November. The panel emphasized how cultivating diverse actuarial and analytic units within …
Continue reading “Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives are Key to Employee Recruitment and Retention”
The CAS is partnering with the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA) and Society of Actuaries (SOA) on a research project focusing on ways to support diversity and inclusion within the actuarial profession. The organizations are working with a market research firm to understand the barriers for individuals pursuing the actuarial career. The actuarial profession …
Continue reading “New Research Project to Examine Diversity of Actuarial Profession”
Diversity, broadly defined, means appreciating each individual’s uniqueness and recognizing our individual differences as a source of strength. These differences can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs and political ideology among others. In the United States, diversity efforts generally refer to opportunities to increase …
Continue reading “Why Diversity Matters to the Actuarial Profession”
As part of its commitment to advance the actuarial profession and engage future generations of property and casualty actuaries, the CAS has adopted a new strategy to enhance the diversity of its membership. Approved by the CAS Board of Directors in March, the CAS Diversity Strategy formalizes the CAS’s commitment to facilitate the evolution of …
