The union representing 70 employees at Northern Transformer in Vaughan, Ont. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement introduces a group registered retirement savings plan and a deferred profit-sharing plan in which the company will provide a matching contribution of three per cent of regular earnings, capped at […]
While U.S. workers aged 45 and older believe it takes, on average, $1.1 million in savings to retire comfortably, just 21 per cent expect to reach this goal, down from 24 per cent in 2022, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled more than 2,000 employees, found more than half (59 […]
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has completed its acquisition of BCHR Holdings — also known as Buck — for US$660 million. Through the agreement, Gallagher will expand its retirement, benefits and human resources consulting services in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., according to a press release. Buck’s team of 2,300 employees will operate under the direction […]
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, employers were predicting challenges around meeting the demands of unfilled roles in the skilled trades. For the last decade, the trades workforce has been gradually ageing out. Now, tradespeople are retiring at unprecedented rates and it isn’t slowing down. While businesses in the sector have traditionally attracted employees with certain […]
In its 2023 budget on Tuesday, the federal government proposed roughly $13 billion over the next five years and $4.4 billion ongoing to fully implement the national dental-care program. The plan — to be administered by Health Canada, with support from a third-party benefits administrator — will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual […]
The union representing employees at Ontario-based flooring company Gesco Ltd. Partnership has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes retirement and paid leave gains. The company will now match all regular employees’ contributions to the group registered retirement savings plan to a maximum of four per cent of their basic annual earnings. The agreement also […]
The median 401(k) account balance for women is 65 per cent lower compared to men, according to a new survey by T. Rowe Price. The survey, which polled roughly 3,900 401(k) plan members and more than 1,100 retirees, found the median annual contribution for women was 43 per cent less than men. It also found women are […]
A British Columbia court has dismissed an appeal of a Supreme Court of B.C. decision that upheld the B.C. Credit Union Employers’ Pension Plan’s choice to increase its normal retirement date to age 65 from age 62. In its decision, the court found the appeal — brought by a group of plan members — alleged […]
After reaching a near 40-year high over the past year, headline inflation started to cool in the final months of 2022 following a series of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the consumer price index was up 6.3 per cent year over year in December, down from a […]
Traditionally, Chinese workers have relied on two pillars of income in retirement — the basic state pension and employer-sponsored plans open to employees in certain sectors. However, in late 2022, the Chinese government poured some concrete into the mould of a third pillar, unveiling the details of a previously announced private pension scheme. Under the […]