Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw a median return of 0.27 per cent for the third quarter of 2022 amid a challenging economic environment, according to the BNY Mellon Canadian master trust universe. The universe, which is designed to provide peer comparisons by plan type and size, comprises 80 Canadian corporate public and university pension […]
While Canadian employers recognize the value of retirement benefits, the current high inflation environment is driving them to favour wage hikes instead, according to a new survey by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan and Angus Reid Group. The survey, which polled nearly 800 business owners and senior leaders, found employers’ leading concerns are greater […]
From an economic perspective, the last year has been quite tumultuous. As central banks began raising rates to tame inflation, the loose monetary environment with policy rates held at historic lows evolved to a rapidly tightening one. In October 2021, the overnight rate was 0.25 per cent and the 10-year Canadian bond yield was 1.6 […]
The Ottawa Community Housing Corp.’s flexible employee well-being strategy led to a win in the Health/wellness program category for employers with fewer than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. “Our organization is happy about the win because this journey in terms of supporting employee health started about two to three years back,” […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors in the U.S. are facing increasing costs when de-risking through annuity buyouts, according to a new report by consulting firm Milliman Inc. It found the estimated cost to transfer risk to an insurer increased in September to 100.1 per cent of a plan’s total liabilities, up from 96.9 per cent […]
Canadian pension plan investments saw very modest gains in the third quarter of 2022 as both stock and bond markets responded favourably to the pace of interest rate hikes around the globe, according to a new report by Northern Trust Canada. The report, which tracks the performance of Canadian defined benefit plans, found the median […]
Around half (54 per cent) of U.S. employees say they’ve stopped or reduced retirement savings due to inflation, according to a new survey by Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America. It found two-fifths (43 per cent) of workers said they’ve dipped into their retirement savings because of rising inflation. Eight in 10 (80 per […]
Equitable Bank’s comprehensive financial literacy seminars led to a win in the Financial wellness category at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. During the coronavirus pandemic, the bank had to pivot quickly to continue providing quality financial wellness education to employees, says Jasmine Kong, the organization’s human resources generalist. Equitable Bank partnered with some of […]
A fifth of Canadian employees are reporting an erosion of trust with their employer since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. It found the top reasons for this decline in trust are a change in workplace culture (46 per cent), a perceived change in how employee well-being was […]
It may take up to 18 months for central banks policies to curb inflation to around two per cent on an annual basis, says Julianna Spiropoulos, partner and head of investment strategy, investment and risk at LifeWorks Inc. “Around the world, there’s concern about persistent inflation. . . . Central banks need to get inflation […]