As gig workers make up a greater share of the Canadian workforce, a lack of retirement savings options may leave this growing demographic facing financial insecurity in their senior years. According to data from Statistics Canada, 871,000 Canadians performed gig work as their primary job in the fourth quarter of 2022. Among those gig workers, […]
A pair of law firms say an Alberta court has certified a class action alleging Uber Technologies Inc. has so much control over drivers and couriers in the province that it constitutes employment. McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP and Duboff Edwards Schachter Law Corp. say the ride-hailing giant has misclassified the employment status of Alberta drivers […]
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for higher pay and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. drivers planned day-long strikes and held mid-day demonstrations at airports in several cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, […]
In a bid to improve working conditions for people who deliver food and offer rides through smartphone apps, the European Union gave provisional approval Wednesday to rules that determine who should get the benefits of full-time employees and restrict the way online platforms use algorithms to manage their workers. The European Parliament and the EU’s […]
Nearly all Canadian employers that have implemented a four-day workweek report increased employee happiness (96 per cent) and say they’d continue with this schedule indefinitely (93 per cent), according to a new report by York University. The report, which analyzed responses from around 30 Canadian companies across the public and private sectors that have moved […]
An article on the federal government’s 2023 fall economic statement was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds consider end of ‘30% rule’ for pensions, propose EI adoption benefit: fall economic statement 2. Former federal finance minister defends ‘sustainably successful’ CPP amid Alberta pension […]
British Columbia is introducing new protections for ride-hailing and food delivery app workers including a minimum wage, compensation for expenses and other standards. A minimum hourly wage of $20.10, which is $3.35 more than the current general minimum wage, would apply for a gig worker’s ‘engaged time,’ beginning when they accept an assignment to the […]
An article on the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ new risk management guideline was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. CAPSA’s risk management guideline adaptable to changes in cybersecurity, ESG: webinar 2. How hybrid workplaces and employees can navigate flu season 3. Canadian employers say competing […]
Roughly half of online gig workers across the globe don’t have a retirement plan, a percentage that increases among Venezuelan (73 per cent) and Nigerian (75 per cent) workers, according to a new report by the World Bank Group. The report, based on surveys across 17 countries, found online gig work is growing globally, particularly in the developing world, creating an important […]
The concept of employee benefits was established on a foundation built decades ago, when employees worked full time and long term with one employer. Those days are long gone. Temporary, part-time and gig work have become the norm, accounting for 60 per cent of job growth in advanced economies since the 1990s. Gig work is […]