{"id":84958,"date":"2026-06-16T11:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/?p=84958"},"modified":"2026-06-27T12:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:07:13","slug":"is-it-time-to-cut-employee-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/is-it-time-to-cut-employee-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Time to Cut Employee Benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recent surveys from the United Kingdom (Robert Walters<\/a>) and the United States (ResumeBuilder<\/a>) point to a growing trend of employers scaling back employee benefits. Let’s look at how this is playing out in the Canadian market.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question is far from theoretical. According to the Robert Walters survey (March 2026), 43% of UK employers have already cut benefits over the past 12 months, and they plan to make further reductions in the coming quarter: fewer year-end bonuses, a rollback on flexible vacation policies, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, the ResumeBuilder survey (March 2026) reveals that 54% of companies have redirected their benefits budget toward… AI investments. The axe has fallen on bonuses (61%), stock or royalty grants (60%), and even base salaries (43%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising Drug Costs Raise Alarm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canada, employee benefits are also a concern for employers, though not because of AI investments. What’s really worrying employers (82% of them) is the rising cost of benefits coverage itself, particularly the price of prescription drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To maximize employee benefits while keeping them accessible, organizations will need to precisely determine the needs and expectations of their employees with the help of a broker who can assist them in leveraging data analytics,” according to an analysis by Hub International<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers still have work to do when it comes to understanding the specific and individual needs of their workforce. According to a Canadian survey conducted by RBC Insurance in May 2025<\/a>, 75% of women want benefits focused on women’s health, particularly around fertility and menopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Shift Toward Personalized Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We put out a quick pulse check to CHRPs to get a sense of the mood among Quebec employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strong inclination toward personalizing benefits packages is emerging. M\u00e9lanie Plante, an HR strategy consultant, is not surprised by this desire among Quebec employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We’ve never had so many generations coexisting in the workforce,” she explains. “With profiles this different and priorities this varied, claiming that a standard offering can satisfy everyone is almost magical thinking. My view is clear: an offer that suits everyone may end up satisfying no one.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Beyond personalization, M\u00e9lanie Plante emphasizes that employees are above all looking for flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Not just in schedules or work location, but in how total compensation is structured. Whether it’s choosing between more vacation time or a bonus, between a higher retirement plan contribution or access to training… Flexibility needs to become a design principle for the benefits offering, not an optional perk.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Recent surveys from the United Kingdom and the United States point to a growing trend of employers scaling back employee benefits. Let’s look at how this is playing out in the Canadian market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":84963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[156],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84958"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84974,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84958\/revisions\/84974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isarta.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}