More than half of Canadian business executives expect a substantial portion of the jobs at their companies won’t exist in five years, according to a new survey by Mercer. Among the findings of Mercer’s survey of the top workforce trends is a prediction by 54 per cent of Canadian executives that at least one in […]
The recent volatility in the equity markets has had only a mild impact on the heath of Canadian pension plans so far this year, according to new numbers from Mercer. On Monday, the firm released its quarterly update on the funded status of Canadian defined benefit plans. The median solvency ratio of Mercer clients was […]
Eckler Ltd. has appointed Naomi Denning as a principal in its national investment practice. Based in the company’s Vancouver office, Denning will be working primarily with employers in British Columbia and the rest of western Canada. Her specific areas of expertise include governance, investment policy and risk management, asset allocation, manager selection and monitoring. Prior to joining Eckler, […]
Sun Life Financial has appointed Heather Wolfe as managing director of liability-driven investment strategies in its defined benefit solutions team. For the previous seven years, Wolfe was a managing director of client relationships in the defined benefit solutions team. Her previous roles in the industry include assistant vice-president of retirement and savings plans at TD Bank Financial Group, […]
While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find substantial savings and then take action. One health-related cost that hasn’t gained much attention is absenteeism. As issue often linked to mental-health issues, it’s costing Canadian organizations billions of dollars in payroll costs, […]
Plan sponsors looking to integrate pharmacogenetic testing into their benefits plan will soon have lots of information to consider as Canada’s biggest insurance companies roll out pilot projects and research begins to shed light on the return on investment. “The market is expanding. Insurers are piloting projects. You will hear a lot about pharmacogenetics over the next 12 months,” said […]
Whether plan sponsors expect a bear or a bull market in 2018, if they’re in a position to de-risk their pension plan, they should do it now, according to two investment consultants who spoke at an event in Toronto on Thursday. “From our perspective, if you look at the world over the last six years, […]
From biosimilars to product listing agreements, a panel of experts tackled some of the hottest topics in drug plan management at the Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum on Dec. 14. Barbara Martinez, who heads up the national drug benefits solutions practice at the Great-West Life Assurance Co., addressed the question of biosimilars during […]
Mercer report shows good news - but can it last?
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans moved into a stronger solvency position by year end 2017, largely due to strong equity markets. The Mercer pension health index, which assesses the health of a hypothetical plan, showed a 106 per cent solvency ratio on Dec. 29, 2017. The ratio was four percentage points higher than at the start of […]