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ARTICLE · 06 FEBRUARY 2025

Pensions And Employee Benefits: Trends For 2025

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
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Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

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Looking ahead to 2025 in the area of pensions and employee benefits, several notable trends stand out. The following is a summary of the key trends for 2025. Pension De-risking Using Buy-in and Buy-out Annuities.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Blakes Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation Group
Blakes Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation Group
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Looking ahead to 2025 in the area of pensions and employee benefits, several notable trends stand out. The following is a summary of the key trends for 2025:

  1. Pension De-risking Using Buy-in and Buy-out Annuities. The use of buy-in and buy-out annuities to de-risk defined benefit pension plans shows no sign of slowing in 2025. With interest rates remaining higher than they have been in several years and with more defined benefit plans having surplus assets, it appears that the conditions will continue to be favourable for annuity purchases throughout 2025.
  2. Pension Surplus. With more and more defined benefit pension plans being in a surplus funding position, plan sponsors have become increasingly interested in the options for accessing such surplus. We expect this trend to continue throughout 2025. We anticipate employers will want to continue exploring their ability to take contribution holidays and potentially withdraw surplus from ongoing or wound-up plans.

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