While more than a third (38 per cent) of U.S. employers are offering employees a paid-time-off bank, up slightly from in 2017 (34 per cent), nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) say most workers don’t use it due to a heavy workload, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The […]
Well hello there! We may have met during one of Benefits Canada’s and the Canadian Investment Review’s many events throughout the year, but if we haven’t, I’m usually helming our daily online news coverage from behind the scenes, while contributing to the monthly print magazine. You’ll be seeing me in this space for the next few […]
Nearly four years after a global health crisis sparked an enduring spotlight on Canadians’ mental health, employees are increasingly making use of their workplace benefits while employers continue to push the boundaries in the programs and support they offer. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members used their mental-health benefits in the last […]
As global markets navigate turbulent economic waters, active management is proving once again to be a lifeline for institutional investors to ensure their portfolios ride out the storm. Pension funds are currently operating amid uncertainty and potential risk, says Ruslan Goyenko, an associate professor of finance at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. “There are […]
As the mental-health concerns of employees in remote working arrangements continue to evolve, Thomson Reuters Corp. is taking a flexible approach to supporting these workers. “Overall, there’s less of a [mental-health] crisis now [than there was at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic], when people felt they needed to always be on [their computers] and […]
The percentage of Canadians working most of their hours from home continued to decline in November 2023 to 20 per cent, from 40 per cent in April 2020 and 30 per cent in January 2022, according to a new report by Statistics Canada. It found while women were more likely than men to work exclusively […]
With historic perceptions of emerging markets and equities no longer matching reality, institutional investors have the opportunity to scoop up good companies at low valuations, said Kamil Dimmich, portfolio manager for the emerging markets equity strategy at Pacific North of South Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. While he […]
Many Canadians living with asthma are experiencing poor control over their symptoms, impacting the workplace, said Anjila Arora, director of pharmaceutical benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum. Between 53 and 90 per cent of asthmatic Canadians meet at least one criteria for poor control […]
Over the last year, the volatile interest rate period has increased demand for fixed income exchange-traded funds among institutional investors, said Robert Forsyth, head of SPDR ETF strategy and research at State Street Global Advisors, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. “Institutional investors were using ETFs to gain really quick access […]
After two years of underperformance, global real estate investment trusts are expected to outperform in 2024 due to a decline of supply and resilient corporate valuations, according to a new report from Hazelview Investments. It found global REITs saw a turnaround rally of 18.9 per cent over the last two months of 2023, leading the […]