Sunday, June 04, 2006


Pension Fund Hiring - Start of a New Trend?

According to its website, the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board is in a hiring mode. Responsible for investing funds received from the Canada Pension Plan, the now C$98 billion fund is seeking several dozen qualified people in the areas of investment and risk management.

A few months ago, a major UK newspaper cited the dearth of qualified pension investment and risk management professionals at the same time that expertise is urgently needed. Is this the start of a hiring trend? Are pension experts suddenly in demand? If so, why? Some likely reasons include:

1. New retirement plan regulations

2. Changed accounting rules

3. More complex investment strategies

4. Recognition that investment and risk management go hand in hand

5. Notion that hiring seasoned staff can minimize fiduciary breach exposure

6. Explosive growth in pension litigation

We may be in for a bumpy road. If true that there are insufficient experts available who can connect the pension risk dots, it will be difficult to make meaningful changes in a cost-effective manner.
posted by Susan Mangiero at 6/04/2006 12:58:00 PM