Group calls for more fertility benefits amid 'great resignation'

As Canadian firms struggle to fill job vacancies, one advocacy group is calling on companies to increase their benefits coverage to include fertility treatments.

A recent survey from the Business Development Bank of Canada found that 55 per cent of Canadian small and medium-sized employers are struggling to hire the workers they need. The survey also found that more than 26 per cent are having a hard time retaining their staff.

According to the survey, which also polled employees, a desire for higher wages was the primary reason workers planned to change jobs in the next year, followed by increased benefits.

Tara Wood, board president of the advocacy group Conceivable Dreams, says now, amid the “great resignation,” is the “perfect time” for society to be having discussions on what kinds of fertility benefits employers can offer their workers.

“COVID has shown us that there’s a different way to live,” she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “People are looking for their employers to step up.”