Canadian Employee Benefit Insights and Trends for 2016

Expanding into Canada? Here are three trends to keep in mind about the Canadian employee benefit landscape.

As a cross border or global organization with employees working in Canada, what are some of the key trends human resource and benefits managers need to consider in 2016? We asked Mrs. Jacquie Fritsch of The Williamson Group – A Cowan Company, Asinta’s Canadian partner, to outline key trends in order to help familiarize you quickly with Canada’s employee benefit market:

  1. Total Rewards – Amalgamating your Canadian total rewards platform under a single carrier is one option being implemented that has seen positive results. Doing so saves valuable administration time for both you as the employer and employee, it simplifies processing and increases employee exposure to self-service options, which in turn promotes employee engagement and appreciation for the employer.
  2. Disability Management – Provincial and legislative differences across Canada can be difficult to navigate in the Health sector let alone when it comes to managing the various statutory leaves of absence, workers compensation parameters and return to work programs. Therefore, a review, recommendations and development of a clear and concise management program ensures employees are back to work quickly with the proper care and with minimal impact to the employer.
  3. Plan Consumerism – Employers in Canada want to know how to put the health and wellbeing of employees at the forefront of business—an objective to manage costs without adversely affecting the health of plan members. The increasing shift in Canada of public health care to private plans continues to bring these employers’ concerns to the forefront.

Fritsch also explained that benefits in Canada usually cost employers about 5-6% of their total payroll and, according to the Toronto Board of Trade Survey, 100% of employers with 20 or more salaried employees offered group life and health benefits, while 79% offered benefits for regular eligible part-time employees.

Employee benefits are changing all the time. If you are seeking qualified help for researching, reviewing, brokering, or implementing benefits in Canada, please contact us and we will respond to you within two business days.