An article on how the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System has contributed to the province’s gross domestic product was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. OMERS pension benefits accounted for 9.3% of Ontario retirement income in 2023: report […]
Family-building benefits can go a long way in supporting employers’ attraction and retention efforts, says David Krieger, regional vice-president of benefits consulting at BFL Canada. “Employees are looking for their employers to provide more support in all aspects of their lives, including building their families. We’re also seeing surrogacy coverage becoming more prevalent in Canada […]
In its 2023 fall economic statement, the federal government said it will consider removing the rule that restricts Canadian pension funds from holding more than 30 per cent of the voting shares of most corporations. The move is part of an effort “to create an environment that encourages and identifies more opportunities for investments in […]
After years of viewing diversity, equity and inclusion as a side-of-the-desk issue, Canadian employers are increasingly considering it a top priority and integrating their organizational DEI goals into their benefits plans. While employers have been introducing DEI initiatives for years, incorporating these goals into benefits plans had been neglected, according to multiple panellists during Benefits Canada’s […]
By March 2021, nearly half a million Canadian women who lost their jobs during the pandemic still hadn’t returned to work by the beginning of that year, according to data from the Royal Bank of Canada. It also found more than 200,000 women had slipped into the ranks of the long-term unemployed, a threefold increase […]
Canadian employers are investing in innovative financial, physical and mental-health benefits to drive their attraction and retention efforts, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 300 employers, found 59 per cent said they’ve invested in employee discount programs, followed by budgeting and other financial wellness education and support (51 […]
Scotiabank is supporting employee well-being and workplace inclusivity by aligning benefits offerings across its global markets. Employees in the majority of countries where Scotiabank operates will see their benefits aligned with the bank’s global inclusive standard within the next five years, towards a goal of aligning benefits in all markets by the end of 2030. […]
U.S. employers are increasing their family and caregiving benefits in 2023, according to a new survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. The survey, which polled more than 4,000 employers, found a quarter (25 per cent) said they cover infertility treatments and in vitro fertilization, while five per cent cover egg freezing for non-medical […]
Jessica Tincopa may leave the photography business she spent 14 years building for one reason — to find coverage for fertility treatment. After six miscarriages, Tincopa and her husband started saving for in vitro fertilization, which can cost more than US$20,000. But the coronavirus pandemic wiped out their savings and they can’t find coverage for IVF in their state’s health insurance marketplace. So the California couple is saving again and […]
Tonya Johnson, age 39, is single, happy and freezing her eggs to buy a little more time before she starts a family. The procedure is costly — as much as $15,000 for one egg freezing cycle with medication — putting it out of reach for many. But Johnson works for one of a growing number of companies in Canada offering egg freezing as […]