As Canadian employers seek to attract and retain top talent, the majority (66 per cent) are focusing on making salaries more competitive, according to a new survey by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. However, the survey’s respondents are aware salary isn’t everything. One-third (34 per cent) of employers said they’re upgrading their well-being initiatives to attract talent […]
The Ontario government has launched a consultation on adopting benefits pooling for broader public sector employees. In previous discussions, both public sector employers and bargaining agents expressed interest in looking at centralized benefits pooling, according to a news release. The government said public sector compensation represents about half of all government spending, at a total […]
The cost of employer-provided health benefits in Canada is forecasted to rise six per cent in 2020, outpacing general inflation by 1.9 per cent, according to a 2020 trend rates report by Aon. The increase is due to higher costs from the rising spend on drugs in general, noted a press release. Globally, costs for employer-sponsored medical plans in 2020 are expected to increase […]
In 2016, KPMG Canada’s benefits program was facing a perfect storm: the company was starting to see a change in its workforce’s needs; employees didn’t value some of its offerings, found the program difficult to understand and felt the pay and total rewards package weren’t competitive; and the organization’s new management team didn’t believe the […]
Compared to the preceding years, 2019 appears to be the year of steady when it comes to progress on hot topics that resonated in the industry in 2017 and 2018. While no single topic has disappeared from the slate, neither have any new ones risen to become topics of urgency among consultants. “Last year, we […]
Private plan sponsors can expect to see lower drug prices resulting from recent changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, but there may also be unintended consequences. The reforms, announced Aug. 9 and expected to come into effect July 1, 2020, will update the reference countries Canada uses to compare its prices internationally. They’ll […]
On Friday, the federal government announced the final amendments to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board regulations, estimating the reforms will save Canadians about $13 billion in the next decade and lay the foundation for national pharmacare. The amendments, which were put forward by the government in a consultation in May 2017, include an update […]
Legal aid workers who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1949 have signed a tentative agreement that includes an increase in vision care benefits, sick and vacation leave and wages. “This is not just good news for our members, it’s a major victory for our most vulnerable citizens who rely on legal aid services […]
Benefits Canada is extending the deadline for entering the 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards to Monday, July 15. The annual awards, which will be held in Toronto on Oct. 17, recognize employers and plan sponsors that are leading the industry in their approaches to supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of their employees. Enter the 2019 Workplace […]
Two-thirds (65 per cent) of plan sponsors said they have a specific objective for their health benefits plan in the coming year, according to the 2019 Sanofi health-care survey. The survey found 23 per cent of plan sponsors strongly agreed they have specific objectives, a 13 per cent increase from last year’s survey. “Having a plan objective and […]