Wood Business

Features Harvesting Logging Profiles
Survey Snippet #6 – Operator benefits now key

July 25 2016 - Employee benefits are now key to attracting and maintaining staff, but they are largely the domain of the larger contractor, or those with access to logging association preferred rates.

Overall, the CFI 2016 Contractor Survey found that 71 per cent of all contractors provided some benefits to their staff, with medical benefits being far and away the leader (61%), followed by life insurance (46%), matching pension plans (25%) and paid vacation beyond the legal minimum (24%).

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But when company size is accounted for, a vastly different picture of the contractor employee experience emerges. Only 35 per cent of the smallest contractors offer benefits (with only 19% offering medical), while 94 per cent of the largest loggers offer benefits (90% medical, 76% life insurance, 51% matching pensions).

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Benefits are also most popular among B.C. contractors, who in addition to paying among the highest operator rates in Canada are also most likely to offer employee benefits (94% in the BC Interior; 85% on the coast. This is followed by Alberta (64%), Ontario (54%), Quebec (50%) and Atlantic Canada (44%). Medical/Dental is the most common benefit in all regions but Quebec, where both extra vacation (38%) and personal/sick days (33%) are more common.  

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Next week Survey Snippet #7 looks at changes to various logging cost centres, such as fuel, insurance, machinery and more.

Missed the last Survey Snippet #5 on operator rates? See it here.

Find more news for the CFI 2016 Contractor Survey on www.woodbusiness.ca and in our enews in the coming months, with a final digital report in August and a summary in the Sept/Oct print issue. Be sure to subscribe to the enews to get every item.
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The survey was conducted in April 2016 for Canadian Forest Industries by independent research firm Bramm & Associates, generating over 230 replies to a detailed list of questions. Respondents were distributed according to the geographic breakdown of the forest industry, with 50 per cent in Western Canada, 25 percent in Quebec, and the rest found in Ontario, Atlantic Canada, and central Canada. Within BC responses were almost evenly split between the BC coast and Interior. Many thanks to our sponsors for making the research possible – Hultdins, Stihl, Tigercat and Ponsse. Also made possible with support from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC).
















July 25, 2016  By Scott Jamieson




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