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Dublin drops 9 places to 25th most expensive city in Mercer Cost of Living Survey

7 July 2009

Dublin ranks 25th of 143 in the Mercer 2009 Cost of Living city rankings, dropping 9 places from 2008. The decline of rental and food prices in Dublin, coupled with the fall in the value of the euro against the US dollar, has caused Dublin to drop...

New Zealand cities more affordable for global expats – Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2009

7 July 2009

New Zealand cities remain affordable destinations for overseas expatriates, increasing the appeal of New Zealand for multinational organisations seeking to manage and contain the costs of a mobile workforce in tighter economic conditions, Mercer’s...

Worldwide Cost of Living survey 2009 – City ranking

7 July 2009

* Tokyo knocks Moscow off the top spot as the most expensive city for expatriates; Johannesburg is the cheapest * Asian and European cities dominate the top 10 *Significant currency fluctuations and strengthening of dollar cause major reshuffle in...

Employers in the Philippines seek flexible benefits to enhance worker satisfaction and control costs

6 July 2009

Companies in the Philippines are considering flexible benefit programs to better meet the needs of their workforce and manage costs. According to Marsh and Mercer’s Philippines Flexible Benefits Survey, nearly four-fifths (79 percent) of respondents...

Employers prefer incremental approach to health care reform

6 July 2009

A survey of 329 US employers conducted by Mercer has found that a significant majority (67 percent) favor a phased-in approach to national health care reform. Only 11 percent said they favor the enactment of comprehensive reform this year, and the...

Katharine Photiou joins Mercer to help reshape the future design and delivery of employee benefits

6 July 2009

Katharine Photiou has joined Mercer as a principal in its strategic benefits consulting and delivery team.

La hausse soutenue du marché des actions fait beaucoup de bien aux régimes de retraite

6 July 2009

Au deuxième trimestre de 2009, l’actif des régimes de retraite au Canada a bénéficié de rendements impressionnants à mesure que les actions ont continué de grimper par rapport au creux qu’elles ont connu au début de mars.

Steady ascent of equities vastly improves health of pension plans

6 July 2009

A typical balanced portfolio would have returned 5.6% for the first half of 2009, and 8.9% for the second quarter. This return does not capture the impact from active management of any of the assets.

Research identifies large scope to improve carbon footprint of investment portfolios

5 July 2009

New research has exposed a seven-fold difference in the carbon footprints of institutional equity portfolios in the UK. A study by Mercer and Trucost, on behalf of WWF, found that greenhouse gas emissions from these portfolios range from 209 to...

Trustees should be ‘significant players’ in corporate restructuring and refinancing negotiations

2 July 2009

Banks must recognise the new economic reality and give greater consideration to the demands of trustees of defined benefit pension schemes when negotiating terms with companies seeking restructuring and refinancing, says Mercer. The company has also...

FTSE 100 companies increase life expectancy assumptions for third consecutive year

30 June 2009

FTSE 100 companies have increased the life expectancy assumptions used in valuing their pension scheme liabilities for the third consecutive year, according to a new report issued by Mercer.

80 per cent of the Irish companies surveyed have reduced staff over the past six months.

25 June 2009

80 per cent of the Irish companies surveyed have reduced staff over the past six months. Companies expect to make further cuts in 2009 according to Mercer global survey

Survey: employee choices in flexible benefits

25 June 2009

Research into flexible benefit schemes across a range of companies shows clear differences in the choices made by different employee groups, a research study by Mercer has shown.

Deep cuts to staff and pay on hold as businesses trade-up their workforce: Mercer survey

23 June 2009

Australian and New Zealand companies are containing employment costs but have hit pause on making deep workforce or pay cuts for the rest of 2009 – instead, they’re looking to ‘trade-up’ their workforce in these tough economic times.

Global survey: Canadian employers proactive; prudently addressing human capital and business costs

23 June 2009

According to Mercer’s latest Leading Through Unprecedented Times global survey, Canadian employers are proactively and prudently taking measures to contain costs and manage risk while trying to minimize the impact on employees.

Mercer launches equity choice tool for stock option programs

23 June 2009

Mercer, a leading benefits administration outsourcing provider, has recently launched “equity choice,” a new online decision-support tool. For those employers who are offering an equity exchange program, the tool provides employees with a simple...

July 1 budget changes turn super sprint into super marathon

22 June 2009

Superannuation changes made in the recent federal budget have confirmed the need for a superannuation marathon to retirement rather than a sprint, but there are some head-start opportunities to be had before July 1, says consulting, outsourcing, and...

Importance of investment risk management in buy-in strategies

19 June 2009

Dairy Crest have announced that the company’s pension fund has purchased a second bulk annuity, which insures the balance of liabilities for pensions in payment. Mercer was the investment consultant for the deal.

Innovation in longevity swaps needs to continue

19 June 2009

The actuarial profession has been eagerly awaiting the Continuous Mortality Investigation’s* (CMI) publication of a suggested model for forecasting future improvements in life expectancy

Mercer sees defined contribution account balance recovery as a significant challenge for near retire

18 June 2009

To illustrate the predicament faced by near retirees, Mercer, a leading provider of benefits administration, analyzed its defined contribution participant data for those under 30 years of age and those 55 and older. Since the end of 2007 through...

Preparing for the recovery

18 June 2009

Mercer invited around 500 clients to a seminar entitled Preparing for the Recovery. The seminar featured a line up of topical business issues on HR trends and practices based on clients’ prior feedback on priority issues faced in the current...

Mercer global survey: Deep workforce, benefit cuts show signs of moderating in last half of 2009

17 June 2009

There are signs that deep workforce, pay and benefit cuts are moderating as businesses budget for the remainder of 2009, according to Mercer’s latest Leading Through Unprecedented Times global survey.

Mercer and TalentNet launch HR learning and development services in Vietnam

15 June 2009

Mercer College, the learning and development brand of global consulting, outsourcing and investment firm Mercer, and TalentNet Corporation, Vietnam’s premier provider of expert and professional human resource solutions, will jointly launch a series...

Slow decision-making the greatest challenge to pension funds

15 June 2009

Slow decision-making is the greatest challenge facing pension funds, according to more than a third of the 240 attendees at Mercer’s European Investment Forum.

Health Confidence Survey underscores Americans’ readiness for comparisons of provider performance

12 June 2009

Results of the 12th annual Health Confidence Survey published today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute dramatically illustrate the readiness of most Americans to take advantage of the latest physician and hospital scorecards and...

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