Administration March 14, 2007

GM Reallocates Assets to Protect Pension Funds

March 14, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - In an effort to preserve the assets of its overfunded pension plans, General Motors Corp. (GM) announced it was reallocating 20% of those assets from stocks to bonds.
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Reuters reports GM Chief Financial Officer Fritz Henderson said the shift is intended to reduce return volatility and the probability of future contribution requirements of the company. GM’s plans are overfunded by more than $17 billion.

Due to the reallocation, GM said the expected long-term annual return on its U.S. pension plans will be lowered from 9% to 8.5%, effective January 1, according to Reuters.

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The asset allocation of the company’s pension plans will now be 52% to global bonds, 29% to global equity, 11% to alternative investments, and 8% to real estate.

Benefits March 13, 2007

U.S. Employers' Hiring Outlook Suggests Less Aggressive Q207

March 13, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - U.S. employers plan to scale back on hiring in the second quarter of 2007, with only 28% of companies planning to increase payrolls during the period, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
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The quarterly survey of about 14,000 U.S. employers suggests that employers are more likely to maintain or reduce staffing activity rather than boost their hiring efforts. Fifty-nine percent expect no change in hiring pace, 7% plan to shave staffing levels and 6% were undecided.

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In four of the 10 industry sectors surveyed, employers expect weaker hiring activity since the first quarter of 2007. Mining, Construction, Wholesale/Retail Trade and Services employers are less confident about hiring than they were in the first quarter, while Transportation/Public Utilities and Finance/Insurance/Real Estate hiring managers foresee improved job prospects during the spring months.

Employers in Durable and Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Education and Public Administration sectors said they foresee little change in hiring from the first quarter to the second quarter.

The survey also showed that hiring on a regional basis will remain relatively stagnant. Employers in the Northeast and South expect to maintain similar levels of employment activity, while those in the Midwest and West anticipate slightly weaker hiring conditions in the next three months. Employers in the South are the most optimistic about hiring and those in the Midwest are least optimistic.

For a the complete results of the Manpower survey go here

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