When a company is undergoing a merger or acquisition, it’s important to maintain consistency regarding benefits plans and streamline the process as much as possible. “It’s crucial to allocate the proper resources to make sure the process goes smoothly and benefits coverage is maintained or improved upon,” says Connie Cooper, associate vice-president of executive financial […]
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of Canadian employers and 66 per cent of U.S. employers say employee productivity is a key focus for 2025, with most planning to align total rewards — specifically compensation — with productivity metrics, according to a new survey by Hub International Ltd. The survey, which polled 900 employers across North America, […]
Young workers can face unique challenges when entering the workforce or starting a new job and it’s up to employers to help ease that transition, says Ashley Sardjoe, head of people and organization at Novartis Canada. “We have robust onboarding programs in place to support younger workers. I think the biggest challenge we see is […]
In anticipation of 25 per cent to 35 per cent growth in Canada by the end of 2024, restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is making staff development a key part of its attraction and retention strategy. This focus on employee development has contributed to an internal promotion rate of 87 per cent and has led […]
More than two-fifths of small- and medium-sized employers say labour shortages (46 per cent) and employee retention (42 per cent) are among their top business concerns for 2024, according to a new survey by Peninsula Employment Services Ltd. The survey, which polled 79,000 SMEs across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the U.K., found more […]
Despite this year’s extreme volatility, the past ten years have been an extraordinary time to be an equity investor. This can be seen by looking at the so-called equity risk premium, which is simply the difference between returns on global stock markets and risk-free assets, such as U.S. dollar bank deposits. Over the very long […]
As part of the federal government’s debt management strategy, it’s increasing long-term debt issuance. In particular, the government will be increasing issuance of the 10-year and 30-year bonds for 2020-2021 to an unprecedented combined amount of $106 billion, according to the federal economic and fiscal snapshot from July 8. The issuance is roughly five times […]
While factor behaviour tends to be consistent in market crashes and corrections, individual factor performance varies over the medium term. As such, institutional investors should maintain diversified exposure across key equity factors including value, quality, momentum, size and low volatility, according to a new paper by Mercer. The paper explored the past three financial crises: […]
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday that the viral epidemic is endangering the modest economic recovery that followed a collapse in hiring and spending this spring. As a result, he said, the Fed plans to keep interest rates pinned near zero well into the future. That faltering economy, pressured by a resurgence of the […]
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to rock the global economy, private equity exits have largely come to a halt since mid-March, according to a report from McKinsey & Co. “The results of the pandemic have been startling,” it noted. “With a couple of exceptions—such as structured transactions and deals signed before the crisis—traditional PE exits […]