Target: 3,000 new jobs over the next five years – The region’s insurers take action by creating the Centre de d�veloppement en assurances et services financiers
QUEBEC, Oct. 5 2007 – As part of the ACCORD initiative coordinated by the P�le Qu�bec Chaudi�re-Appalaches, the 11 insurance companies that have head offices in the region are taking action to ensure their continued growth through the creation of the Centre de d�veloppement en assurances et services financiers (Insurance and Financial Services Development Centre).
A non-profit organization, the Centre has a board of directors composed of the 11 presidents of the insurance companies. Its chief mission is to promote the many career opportunities available for young people, find ways to improve the English language skills of existing and future employees, and tell people about the industry and all it has to offer. The Centre will also focus on expanding joint projects between the insurers and educational institutions.
Three thousand new quality jobs will be created over the next five years
The insurance and financial services industry is now recognized as a niche of excellence in the region and employs over 8,250 people in various fields. Over the next five years, 3,000 new positions, 40% of which will be professional, will be created, not counting normal staff turnover and departures due to retirement. In the last five years, the industry has already shown net growth of 2,700 positions.
The hiring of future quality candidates represents a major challenge for the insurers, who are highly concentrated in the region. “Due to the presence of our head offices, for example, insurance courses are being offered at some of our C�geps and Laval University. This in turn will give us access to an excellent pool of resources,” explained Yvon Charest, President of Industrial Alliance and President of the Centre de d�veloppement. “The more jobs we have here, the more spin-offs the critical mass will generate. To make this happen, we must ensure we have the human resources we need to continue to grow here in the region, with people from here,” added Mr. Charest.
Stimulating career opportunities
The industry offers career opportunities that go well beyond actuarial science and accounting. “Our employees are nothing like the old stereotype of the insurance agent with his foot in the door, they’re people involved in leading edge work in several fields, from actuarial science to marketing, IT systems to investment management. We do more than just insurance, we develop complex financial products. We are exporters of services across the country,” explained Mr. Charest.
In addition to finding excellent working conditions in the region, newcomers to the area will discover a wealth of opportunities in companies that specialize in several different types of insurance and financial services, small and large companies, mutual, cooperative and stock companies, and companies that operate either locally or across the country.
Growing importance of bilingualism
The 11 insurers control 34% of the life and health insurance market and 42% of the property and casualty insurance market in Quebec. Some of them already have a strong presence in the rest of the country, where they plan to continue growing their business. “This is another challenge for us. Growth outside Quebec has greatly increased the demand for bilingual employees. All of our companies have English language development programs for their employees, but we are more and more interested in hiring people who are already bilingual. Many of our future employees will be working with English-speaking clients and colleagues, and will be given the opportunity to take language courses or spend part of their career in other Canadian cities, from Vancouver to St. John’s, Newfoundland,” added Mr. Charest.
The Centre
The Centre has a simple structure with one permanent employee who works on joint initiatives with the insurers’ various employees, mainly in the areas of communication and human resources. Its director, Mr. Gilles Juneau, spent 30 years working for two of the insurers in the region.
Les compagnies d’assurances de la r�gion Qu�bec Chaudi�re-Appalaches, un des plus importants p�les de l’industrie au Canada
QUEBEC, le 5 oct. 2007 – Les 11 compagnies d’assurances qui ont leur si�ge social dans la r�gion de Qu�bec Chaudi�re-Appalaches constituent l’un des plus importants p�les de l’industrie au Canada, ce qui vaut � la r�gion, dans le milieu, le surnom de “Hartford du Nord” (d’apr�s Hartford, Connecticut, o� il y a une telle concentration d’assureurs qu’elle est elle-m�me surnomm�e la capitale mondiale de l’assurance). Trois des compagnies d’assurances de personnes d’ici sont au nombre des 10 plus importantes au pays. Plusieurs compagnies d’assurances g�n�rales de la r�gion ont connu une tr�s forte croissance au cours des derni�res ann�es.
Au chapitre des retomb�es de l’industrie dans la r�gion, monsieur Jude Martineau, pr�sident de Desjardins Groupe d’assurances g�n�rales et vice-pr�sident du Centre de d�veloppement, donne quelques exemples : “Selon une �tude men�e l’an dernier, les 11 compagnies employaient en 2005 quelque 8 250 personnes dans la r�gion et 6 150 ailleurs au Canada. Leurs r�seaux de distribution comptaient 2 765 personnes dans la r�gion et 23 000 ailleurs au Canada. Les assureurs versent 408 M $ en salaires � leurs employ�s locaux (donn�es de 2005). Les 3 000 emplois que nous cr�erons au cours des prochaines ann�es repr�sentent une masse salariale suppl�mentaire de pr�s de 200 M$. Des d�penses de pr�s de 113 M $ ont �t� encourues aupr�s de fournisseurs de la r�gion; les compagnies ont vers� plus de 600 M $ en taxes et imp�ts aux divers paliers de gouvernement”.
Contr�lant une forte partie du march� qu�becois (34 % en assurances de personnes, 42 % en assurances de dommages), elles ont per�u au Canada en 2005 plus de 10,8 milliards $ en primes et cotisations.
La croissance des compagnies se refl�te dans leur parc immobilier. Plusieurs compagnies ont agrandi leur si�ge social au cours des derni�res ann�es. Actuellement, Desjardins Groupe d’assurances g�n�rales construit un nouvel �difice � L�vis et La Capitale projette d’agrandir son si�ge social � Qu�bec.
Parmi les retomb�es int�ressantes pour la r�gion se trouve le tourisme d’affaires. Aux nombreuses r�unions de cadres et d’employ�s venant de toutes les provinces s’ajoutent des congr�s attir�s entre autres par la pr�sence des assureurs : celui de la Life Office Management Association le mois dernier (1 500 participants), de la F�d�ration internationale des coop�ratives et mutuelles d’assurances il y a quelques ann�es ou encore, l’an prochain, celui de l’Association canadienne des compagnies d’assurances de personnes.
Des emplois vari�s
“Du c�t� des emplois, chacun sait que les assureurs emploient des actuaires, des comptables et des repr�sentants, dit M. Martineau, mais il en faut beaucoup plus pour mener nos op�rations. Nous employons des sp�cialistes en technologies de l’information, gestion des ressources humaines et des ressources mat�rielles, communications, publicit� et promotion, recherche et marketing, gestion de placements, gestion de projets, techniciens en sant� (s�lection des risques et prestations), juristes, agents de service � la client�le, sp�cialistes dans tous les aspects des services financiers, souscripteurs, ajusteurs, la liste est longue.”
L’�tendue des op�rations de certaines compagnies permet � plusieurs de leurs employ�s de travailler un peu partout au Canada, de Vancouver o� l’Industrielle Alliance a une filiale � St-Jean de Terre-Neuve, o� Desjardins S�curit� financi�re a d�croch� d’importants contrats d’assurance collective.
Les 11 compagnies d’assurances de la r�gion Qu�bec Chaudi�re-Appalaches
- Desjardins Groupe d’assurances g�n�rales (L�vis)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- Jude Martineau, pr�sident et chef de l’exploitation
- Desjardins S�curit� financi�re (L�vis)
- Assurances de personnes et services financiers
- Richard Fortier, pr�sident et chef de l’exploitation
- Groupe Promutuel (Qu�bec)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- Claude Robitaille, chef de la direction
- Industrielle Alliance, Assurance et services financiers (Qu�bec)
- Assurances de personnes et services financiers
- Yvon Charest, pr�sident et chef de la direction
- Industrielle Alliance, Assurance auto et habitation (Qu�bec)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- Michel Laurin, pr�sident et chef de l’exploitation
- La Capitale groupe financier, secteur Assurances de personnes (Qu�bec)
- Assurances de personnes et services financiers
- Robert St-Denis, pr�sident-directeur g�n�ral
- La Capitale groupe financier, secteur Assurances de dommages (Qu�bec)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- John Strome, pr�sident-directeur g�n�ral
- L’Entraide Assurance (Qu�bec)
- Assurances de personnes et services financiers
- Gaetan Gagn�, pr�sident du conseil et chef de la direction
- L’Union Canadienne, Compagnie d’Assurances (Qu�bec)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- Jean Vincent, chef de l’exploitation
- SSQ, Soci�t� d’assurance-vie inc. (Qu�bec)
- Assurances de personnes et services financiers
- Richard Bell, pr�sident-directeur g�n�ral
- SSQ, Soci�t� d’assurances g�n�rales inc. (Qu�bec)
- Assurances g�n�rales
- Marie-Jos�e Blanchette, pr�sidente-directrice g�n�rale
