WHAT IS AN ECONOMIST?
Updated: Sep 26, 2025 - Renowned for exceptional ability in producing premier economic insights, The Economist employs meticulous research and reporting. The focus on aggregating and analyzing economic data is essential for the group's country risk assessment framework. Comprehensive analyses identify country-specific factors that may challenge insurers' financial commitments, making this work crucial in shaping the group’s perspective on critical country risk trends and developments. Insights are communicated to internal stakeholders, facilitating informed decision-making.
Need-to-Know Overview of an Economist
1. Economist Roles and Responsibilities
- Reduce the need to manually collect data by using Python scripts and web APIs to gather and process data
- Assist in updating the current framework used to determine country risk levels from SAS to Python
- Create and maintain an easily accessible data repository for the team to use for reports and analyst requests
- Present the relevant country risk environment at internal meetings consisting of rating analysts
- A member of the country risk group presents at every rating committee where country risk is determined to be a potential factor
- Keep up to date on various world events (i.e. central bank policy)
- Able to synthesize that knowledge and determine the potential relevance
- Assist with the annual task of writing approximately 150 country risk reports
- Update internal country risk reports as needed for use at internal meetings
- Update the various economic regional report the group produces
- Identify potential topics of interest for report generation
2. Economist Experience and Qualifications
- Programming experience in Python; preferred experience also in SAS
- Excellent Excel abilities
- Excellent written, communication and time management skills
- Interest in international economics
- Ability to work flexible hours to accommodate international offices
- Bloomberg terminal experience an advantage
- A couple of years of experience in economic research, country risk and data analysis
- Undergraduate degree in Economics, Political Science, International Business or related field
Career Overview FAQs
What does a career overview explain?
A career overview explains what a profession involves, including the purpose of the role, the type of work professionals typically perform, and how the position contributes to organizations or industries. It helps readers understand the field before exploring more detailed resources such as job responsibilities, required skills, and career requirements.
What do professionals in this career typically do?
Professionals in this field usually manage projects or tasks, collaborate with teams, analyze information, and solve problems related to business or organizational objectives. Daily responsibilities may vary depending on experience level, specialization, and the organization where the role is performed.
What skills are commonly required for this career?
Most careers require a combination of technical skills related to the profession and professional skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, and analytical thinking. These abilities help professionals perform effectively in different work environments and across various organizational roles.
What is the typical career path in this field?
Many professionals begin in entry-level roles where they gain foundational knowledge and practical experience. Over time, they may progress to mid-level or senior positions that involve greater responsibility, specialization, or leadership within their organization or industry.
How can someone start a career in this field?
Starting a career in this field typically involves building relevant knowledge, gaining practical experience, and developing the key skills associated with the profession. Preparing strong application materials, such as a targeted resume and cover letter, can also help candidates pursue entry-level opportunities successfully.
Editorial Process
Lamwork content is developed through structured review of publicly available job postings and documented hiring trends.
Editorial operations are managed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, with research direction and final oversight by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead. Content is periodically reviewed to reflect observable labor market changes.