Aging Workforce Forum: Pensions, Performance, and the New Retirement

Tuesday April 23 - Wednesday April 24 2013 • InterContinental Toronto Centre • Toronto, Ontario

Conference Overview

The Conference Board’s Annual Pensions Summit has a New Name for 2013!

Underfunding and slow growth have led to defined Benefits (DB) pensions plans sliding deeper and deeper into deficit, but that isn't the only concern for pensions professionals these days. Your workforce is aging, and this transformation is leading to widespread and persistent changes across the pension environment. In order to remain competitive, pensions must address plan risk, make changes for future sustainability, and find ways to stand by the promises made to plan members. They must also adjust to the needs of an aging workforce, changing how work is organized to maintain performance and attract and engage older employees.

It is for these reasons that our tenth annual Pensions Summit will be known as the Aging Workforce Forum: Pensions, Performance, and the New Retirement. Join us for what is sure to be an eye-opening event, as we feature the latest thinking on Canada's aging workforce and how Pensions innovators are transforming themselves to drive performance and competitiveness in a changing landscape.

The pension environment is changing, and the issues that result from this change will be widespread and persistent.

Experts agree that the pension outlook has not improved in recent years:

A recent survey of Canadian pension funds by Mercer shows the solvency position of DB plans is at an all-time low
Sun Life’s 2012 Canadian Unretirement Index Report found that 48% of Canadian workers expect to have a phased retirement. Just 20% said they don’t expect to gradually scale back work and phase into retirement, and 32% said they aren’t sure what to expect
Fidelity Investments’ The shift to retirement income—beyond the headlines, indicates 66% of pre-retirees expect to work in retirement, with 51% saying they would work as an employee and 28% saying they may start a new business
The Conference Board forecasts a significant economic impact from the aging of the population. After 2015, sustainable growth in Quebec and much of Atlantic Canada will slow to around 1.5 per cent in real terms (with the impact of inflation removed). Ontario’s sustainable growth rate will fall below two per cent after 2015. Western provinces will fare a bit better, but even they will see their collective growth potential fall to around 2.5 per cent as the effects of aging demographics kick in.

Three perils, three partners.

Tackling underfunding, slow growth, and an aging workforce won’t be easy, and action is needed by all stakeholders:

governments need to change policies, regulations, and legislation to ease the burden on employers, while protecting employees. There is Special government pricing available for this event! View our Fees and Special Offers page for more information.
pensions must address plan risk, make changes for future sustainability, and find ways to stand by the promises made to plan members. They must also adjust to the needs of an aging workforce, changing how work is organized to maintain performance and attract and engage older employees
individual employees and unions must adjust their expectations and, in many cases, take greater responsibility for retirement income

The greatest challenges lie with organizations that are trying to deal with pension fund shortfalls in a volatile and low growth world economy.

Join us to benefit from the experiences of the experts and your public and private sector counterparts.

This event attracts leading public and private sector advisors, Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, Chief Actuaries, government ministers and deputy ministers, and international experts and practitioners, to share their thinking, and discuss common challenges and potential solutions.

The status quo is not an option.

“If we choose to do nothing differently, Canada would still be relatively wealthy—but with little dynamic energy, or revenue growth, for businesses and governments. That’s not much of a future.”

—Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist
The Conference Board of Canada

Pension plans have lurched from crisis to crisis since the dot com crash of 2000. Now they face the additional burden of an aging population and its impact on productivity and workforce management.

This event will bring together leaders from all these areas to talk frankly about what has to happen and what each must do to begin to fix these problems. Canada’s future prosperity and competitiveness may well depend on how these issues are addressed.

Message from the Program Developer

John Brewer

Underfunding, slow growth, and an aging workforce are major pension challenges. This will be the 10th annual pension summit I’ve designed for the Conference Board, and, in this time …

Building on success.

The Conference Board is Canada’s most respected independent research and conference development organization, attracting top private and public sector thought leaders and providing an insightful and enlightening learning experience for conference participants.

Connect with your top prospects!

Sponsor this event, and collaborate with senior executives, practitioners, and thought leaders. Connect your brand with the solutions, and position your organization as a leader in its field.

To learn more about exhibiting, reception and luncheon sponsorship, and exclusive sponsor benefits, please contact Rhonda Bradbury at (416) 481-1904 or bradbury@conferenceboard.ca.