What is Actuarial Science/Mathematics?

It is the study and application of financial concepts associated mainly with demography (i.e. analysis of population mortality, life expectancy etc.) to real world problems predominantly in the insurance arena.

What is an actuary?

Actuaries apply financial and statistical theories to solve real business problems. These business problems typically involve analysing future financial events, especially when the amount of a future payment, or the timing of when it is paid, is uncertain. A lot of actuaries’ work might be thought of as ‘risk management’, assessing how likely an event may be and the costs associated with it.

Understanding how businesses operate, how legislation may impact and how financial economics can affect values are all vital skills for an actuary. But what differentiates actuaries is their core mathematical, economic and statistical understanding and their ability to apply this to real financial problems.

 Source: www.actuaries.org.uk

What are the examples of actuarial work?

The traditional areas in which actuaries operate are: consultancy, investment, life and general insurance and pensions. Actuaries are also increasingly moving into other areas of the financial sector where their analytical skills can be employed.

Consultancy

Actuarial consultancies offer a whole range of services to their clients on issues such as acquisitions, mergers, corporate recovery and financing capital projects. Many also offer advice to employers and trustees who run occupational pension schemes. In fact, such consultancies are probably the biggest employers of actuaries in the UK.

Investment

In the area of investment, actuaries are involved in a range of work such as: pricing financial derivatives, working in fund management, or working in quantative investment research. Often investment actuaries work in fields where their understanding of insurance or pension liabilities helps them to manage the investment of the corresponding assets.

Insurance

The work carried out by actuaries in insurance includes designing new insurance policies, setting premium rates, calculating a company’s financial status (based on the policies already sold), and answering technical queries from policyholders. Insurance actuaries also undertake detailed investigations of different experiences; such as how assets and expenses have performed and the extent of different types of claims for different types of insurance policies (eg death claims for life insurance or car theft for motor insurance).

Pensions & Employee Benefits

In the pensions field, actuaries are usually involved in designing and advising company pension schemes, especially where a value needs to be placed on a scheme’s accumulated pension promises. Actuaries are also involved in designing schemes for employee benefits.

Source: www.actuaries.org.uk

Who should become an actuary and what attributes would be of help?

To become an actuary, you will generally need to have a high-level of mathematical ability and an above-average level of intelligence.

Important characteristics for an actuary to have would be as follows:

  • Interest in solving complicated problems.
  • Interest in business, finance and economics.
  • Good oral communication skills.
  • Good written communication skills.
  • Perseverance (especially in tackling the exams!!!).

Can I be an actuary without an actuarial degree?

Yes. A good number of actuaries do not have an actuarial science degree. It is the ability to pass actuarial exams that determines if one is eligible to enter the profession. If you are able to pass one or more of the preliminary exams, that will demonstrate to potential employers that you have the aptitude, interest, and commitment to be an actuary, regardless of your major.

Where do most actuaries work in Malaysia?

The areas of work for actuaries are not limited to insurance firms only. Instead, the horizon for this line of job is very wide. Below are some of the areas of work which actuaries do:

  • Life Insurance / Family Takaful
  • General Insurance / General Takaful
  • Reinsurance / Retakaful
  • Actuarial Consulting
  • Investment and Financial Services
  • Employee Benefit Industry (e.g. EPF)
  • Government Sector (e.g. BNM)
  • Colleges and Universities

What are the career options available to actuaries?

Actuaries have historically taken on the following positions in companies:

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Appointed Actuary / Signing Actuary
  • Asset/Investment Consultant
  • Management Consultant

How do I get an entry-level actuarial job?

The best chance of landing a job as an actuary is to clear a few actuarial exams from one of the international actuarial bodies and have relevant experience from having completed an internship. It is also important to be able to articulate your thoughts and demonstrate your understanding about topics asked during an interview.

What are the future prospects of actuarial profession in Malaysia?

Given the expected continuous growth in the insurance market, it is anticipated that the demand for actuaries in Malaysia will continue to grow in the next few decades.

Future regulatory developments (e.g. requirement for certification of IBNR) and the increasing need for risk management are likely to result in significant increase in demand for actuarial services by general insurers.

Which professional bodies are recognized locally?

Malaysian insurance regulator, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Actuarial Society of Malaysia (ASM) recognize Fellows of the following organizations as qualified actuaries:

  • the Institute of Actuaries of Australia
  • the Canadian Institute of Actuaries
  • the Casualty Actuarial Society (USA)
  • the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK)
  • the Society of Actuaries (USA)

Bank Negara Malaysia – Policy of Appointed Actuary: Appointments and Duties (for reinsurers and retakaful operators)

What about exams and qualifications?

The ASM does not conduct its own exams. Actuarial students in Malaysia have a choice of completing the examination modules of any of the above recognized professional bodies. The current examination structures are given in the Route to Becoming an Actuary section.

Which are the universities/colleges offering actuarial programs?

Some of the universities/colleges offering degree programs for actuarial studies are given below. This list is not exhaustive.

Malaysia

  • Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
  • Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)
  • University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
  • University Malaya (UM)

Degree transfer programs are offered by these colleges:

  • University College Sedaya International (UCSI)
  • Help Institute
  • Inti College
  • Prime College
  • Curtin University

Singapore

  • National University of Singapore (NUS)
  • Nanyang Technology University (NTU)

Hong Kong

  • University of Hong Kong.

United Kingdom

  • London School of Economics
  • Heriot-Watt University
  • City University
  • Southampton University
  • University of Kent
  • University of Wales

Australia

  • Macquarie University
  • University of Melbourne
  • Australian National University
  • University of New South Wales

United States

  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Wharton School of Business
  • University of Wisconsin
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Nebraska
  • University of Minnesota

Canada

  • University of Waterloo
  • University of Calgary
  • University of Manitoba
  • University of Toronto

How is the employment and remuneration in this field of study?

Relative to other professions, actuaries enjoy competitive remuneration.

What kind of support do local and foreign companies provide?

Most, if not all local and foreign companies support their actuarial students by having actuarial development programs with the following incentives:

  • Study and exam leave
  • Full/partial reimbursement on costs of study material
  • Salary increment and/or bonus upon passing of exams

How long does it normally take to complete a degree?

A normal bachelor degree spans 3 years (+1 year if you consider an Honours degree in Australia). Thereafter, completing the professional exams may take another 3-7 years (considering working full-time while studying).

What are the passing rates like?

Passing rates are generally low compared with other professions. Passing rates in the range of 15%-25% per subject are not uncommon.

What are the rewards?

  • Financial – qualified actuaries have significantly higher salaries than most other professionals in the financial services industry. In addition, due to increments commonly offered for exam progress, actuarial executives can expect to outperform their peers in other sectors even before qualifying.
  • Intellectually stimulating – actuaries are rewarded for their problem solving and analytical skills. As such, job satisfaction comes from working in an intellectually stimulating and challenging environment. This encourages continual growth in one’s technical skill and ability, paving the way to involvement at senior levels of all organisations.
  • Employment opportunities – due to the constant demand for actuaries exceeding supply, there is rarely ever a shortage of demand for actuaries. Many actuaries have also successfully transitioned to other non-traditional areas such as corporate finance and investments, where their analytical and quantitative skills are highly sought after.

What are the opportunities like?

With only about a hundred qualified actuaries in Malaysia, the market for actuaries can perhaps still be considered unsaturated.

Interested to find out more?

Check out the websites from the Links section.