Canadian HR Reporter

PM40065782 RO9496 THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT June 2019 www.hrreporter.com No significant wage increases on horizon But 'notable experimentation' around incentive comp: Survey BY SARAH DOBSON THE CANADIAN economy did fairly well in 2018, and the unem- ployment rate hovered near a 40- year low with job creation staying strong. And with an aging population moving into retirement, employ- ers are looking to hire, with job vacancies hitting record highs, ac- cording to a Payscale report. Yet most Canadian organiza- tions have no plans to give workers significant wage increases, found its survey of 584 respondents. e lower numbers could be influenced by slower economies in provinces such as Alberta, Sas- katchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador — alongside eco- nomic uncertainty, said the report. In 2018, 56 per cent of Canadian organizations budgeted between two and three per cent for base pay increases. However, eight per cent of orga- nizations budgeted four to five per cent, and another seven per cent budgeted more than five per cent for increases, found Payscale. e labour markets have be- come very competitive in the United States and Canada, but wages haven't necessarily gone up dramatically, said Tim Low, senior vice-president of marketing at Payscale in Seattle. "We're still wondering if that is going to pop, or if there are struc- tural changes that have actually happened behind the scenes that FACEBOOK ADS FACE LEGAL SCRUTINY 'Discriminatory intention is not what matters — it's all about the effect': Lawyer BY MARCEL VANDER WIER R ecruitment options offered by Facebook could face legal action following accusations of age and gender discrimination. In April, a Montreal law firm filed an application for a class-action lawsuit against Facebook and Face- book Canada, alleging the companies have allowed for discrimination by excluding specific people from employment and housing advertisements. e ap- plication also alleges the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social media company's algorithm framework has a discriminatory effect on the delivery of ads to users. By allowing and facilitating such practices, Face- book has violated rights guaranteed in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms — and simi- lar laws across the country, according to Audrey Boc- tor, partner at IMK Avocats. e plaintiff is 65-year-old Lyse Beaulieu, but the proposed lawsuit could eventually include many more Canadians, said Boctor. "Facebook has 20 million users in Canada, so this definitely — being conservative — impacts (people) in the hundreds of thousands." Beaulieu is an active Facebook user who has been job hunting for years, even as some employers have capped job ads at age 55, said Boctor. "It's already difficult to find a job at that stage," she said. "When you're just simply not even getting access to the same types of advertisements for employment that younger workers are, it creates an additional bur- den and it's discriminatory." "You couldn't run an ad that says, 'People over 55 need not apply.' is is essentially the modern-day version of that, where you're simply excluding those people from even having access to the ad." In April, federal Employment Minister Patty Hajdu called on the Canadian Human Rights Commission Ontario's Bill 47 Legislative reversal forces tough decisions for employers page 3 Do wellness investments pay off? Study sees little reduction in clinical markers of health, medical spending page 6 Reinvention with human focus Deloitte's human capital trends report outlines latest issues, developments facing HR page 16 Canadian employers have to compete for tech talent with the likes of employers such as Amazon, with its Toronto headquarters seen here. page 21 Putting safety first 3 vital considerations when implementing a medical screening program Credit: sergey causelove (Shutterstock) Facebook recruitment options allow employers to target specific talent by age, gender and choice of university. FINE > pg. 14 VARIOUS > pg. 12 Credit: Google Street View safety-reporter.com STAY ON TOP OF YOUR OH&S

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