Amazon.com says it’s investing more than a US$1 billion to raise wages and lower the cost of health-care plans for its U.S. fulfillment and transportation workers. The Seattle-based company said the average pay is increasing to more than $23 per hour. Some of its most tenured employees will see an increase between $1.10 and $1.90 […]
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of plan members are open to receiving personalized communications about their health from their benefits plan provider, according to the 2025 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. This is up from 66 per cent in 2018, when the question was first asked. The question clarified that the respondent’s employer wouldn’t be aware […]
Three in five (60 per cent) plan members would choose an extra $10,000 in cash per year over their benefits plan, according to the 2025 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The survey asked half of 1,000 plan member respondents whether they’d rather receive their benefits plan or an extra $5,000 in cash per year, while the […]
U.S. employer health-care costs are projected to climb 9.5 per cent in 2026, pushing average plan costs above US$17,000 per employee, according to a new report by Aon. The report draws on the firm’s health value initiative database, which tracks plan costs and designs for more than 1,000 employers covering 7.7 million employees and US$120 […]
An article on amendments to Quebec employment legislation 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 last week: 1. Quebec employment legislation introducing unpaid leave for workers impacted by provincial health, disaster orders 2. HOOPP providing menopause-inclusive workplace through benefits, […]
When updating their benefits program, some employers may be hesitant to cut offerings due to a lack of clarity around which benefits are most valued by employees, says Grant Boissonneault, assistant vice-president and relationship lead at Aon. “While benefits programs are intended to support employee well-being and engagement, organizations often rely on assumptions or outdated […]
U.S. employers are anticipating a median health benefits cost trend of nine per cent in 2026, which could be offset to 7.6 per cent with changes to plan design, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled more than 120 employers representing 11.6 million plan members, found, on a […]
Half (51 per cent) of U.S. employers with 500 or more employees say they’re likely or very likely to make plan design changes in 2026 that would shift more costs to employees, such as raising deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 500 large-sized companies, […]
An article on the impact of rising benefits costs 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 last week: 1. 73% of employers say rising benefits costs a top issue in 2025: survey 2. 50% of Canadian gen-Zers prefer roles […]
Roughly three-quarters (73 per cent) of Canadian employers say the rising cost of benefits is the No. 1 issue influencing their benefits strategy this year, up significantly from 40 per cent in 2023, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled more than 145 employers across the public and private sectors, found […]