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Note 19 - Post-retirement Benefits
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Notes to Financial Statements  
Retirement Benefits [Text Block]
19. Post-retirement benefits

 

We operate a number of post-retirement benefit plans, primarily consisting of defined contribution plans for U.S. and non-U.S. employees. We also sponsor defined benefit pension plans for certain employees located in the U.K., Norway and Indonesia. The majority of our post-retirement expense relates to defined contribution plans. The assets of the various defined benefit plans are held separately from those of the Company. Our principal retirement savings plans and pension plans are discussed below.

 

Defined contribution plans

 

We offer various defined contribution plans for employees around the globe as per local statute and market practice. Specific to our largest employee populations, for employees in the U.S., we offer a 401(K) plan, which is a defined contribution retirement savings plan to which the employer matches employee contributions up to 4% of eligible earnings. For U.K. employees, we offer the Group Personal Pension plan, which is a portable, personal pension plan to which the employer contributes on a matching basis between a base of 4.5% and a ceiling of 6% of base salary. 

 

Expense recognized in respect of these plans were $12.7 million, $8.4 million and $7.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

 

Defined benefit plans

 

We offer a pension plan to certain of our U.K. employees, which qualifies as a defined benefit plan. Effective October 1, 1999, this plan was closed to new entrants. The contributions to the plan are determined by a qualified external actuary on the basis of an annual valuation.

 

In December 2015, the decision was taken to close the U.K. defined benefit plan (“DB Plan”) to new accruals. The status of the DB Plan’s remaining active members has changed to that of deferred members. This change affected approximately 80 employees. As deferred members, these employees will no longer accrue further benefits under the DB Plan through their service. However, benefits earned through past service are retained and will continue to increase with inflation. In addition, affected individuals were auto-enrolled in the Company’s defined contribution pension plan.

 

On December 28, 2020, the Company, with the written consent of the trustees, amended the DB Plan rules to introduce a new pension option for members who retire before their state pension age, a bridging pension option. Under this new option, a plan member who receives his or her pension before the later of age 65 or their state pension age can elect to have their pension temporarily increased at retirement and then reduced at the time of state pension.

 

Key assumptions

 

The major assumptions, included on a weighted average basis across the defined benefit plans, used to calculate the defined benefit plan liabilities were:

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

  

2021

 

Discount rate

  4.5%  4.7%  1.8%

Expected return on plan assets

  5.8%  5.6%  3.2%

Expected rate of salary increases

  0.1%  0.1%  0.1%

 

The discount rate has been calculated with reference to AA rated corporate bonds of a suitable maturity. Expected rates of salary increases have been estimated by management following a review of the participant data. Within the U.K. plans pensionable salary was frozen in 2012 resulting in the reduction in the weighted average assumption for salary increases disclosed above.

 

The expected long-term return on cash is based on cash deposit rates available at the reporting date. The expected return on bonds is determined by reference to U.K. long term government bonds and bond yields at the reporting date. The expected rates of return on equities and property have been determined by setting an appropriate risk premium above government bond yields having regard to market conditions at the reporting date.

 

Net periodic benefit cost

 

Amounts recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss in respect of the defined benefit plans were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

  

2021

 

Current service cost

 $(350) $(357) $(439)

Interest cost

  (6,177)  (4,307)  (3,407)

Expected return on plan assets

  6,977   6,796   5,499 

Amortization of prior service credit

  249   249   249 

Reclassified net remeasurement (loss) gains

  453   -   244 

Amounts included in consolidated statements of operations

 $1,152  $2,381  $2,146 
             

Actuarial gain (loss) on defined benefit plans

 $(4,529) $7,440  $22,345 

Amortization of prior service credit

  (249)  (249)  (249)

Reclassified net remeasurement (loss) gains

  (453)  -   (244)

Other comprehensive income (loss)

 $(5,231) $7,191  $21,852 
             

Total comprehensive income (loss)

 $(4,079) $9,572  $23,998 

 

The service costs have primarily been included in “Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization” in the consolidated statements of operations. Interest cost, expected return on plan assets and plan curtailment / amendment events have been recognized in “Other income, net” in the consolidated statements of operations.

 

The actuarial gain (loss) is derived from the components shown in the table below (in thousands):

 

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

  

2021

 

Actuarial (loss) gain on assets

 $2,319  $(74,332) $11,378 

Actuarial gain (loss) on liabilities

  (6,848)  81,772   10,967 

Actuarial gain (loss) on defined benefit plans

 $(4,529) $7,440  $22,345 

 

The actuarial loss on the benefit obligation for the year  December 31, 2023 has arisen primarily as a result of a reduction in corporate bond yields, offset in part by higher than anticipated investment returns. In addition, there was an additional loss as actual inflation over 2023 was higher than anticipated.

 

The amount of employer contributions expected to be paid to our defined benefit plans during the years to December 31, 2033 is set out below (in thousands):

 

Years ending December 31:

    

2024

 $5,598 

2025

 $5,741 

2026

 $5,970 

2027

 $6,262 

2028

 $6,471 

Thereafter to December 31, 2033

 $18,006 

 

The amounts included in the consolidated balance sheets arising from our obligations in respect of defined retirement benefit plans and post-employment benefits was as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Present value of defined benefit obligations

 $(148,167) $(135,182)

Fair value of plan assets

  137,725   123,840 

Deficit recognized under non-current liabilities

 $(10,442) $(11,342)

 

Changes in the present value of defined benefit obligations were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Opening balance

 $(135,182) $(241,808)

Current service cost

  (350)  (357)

Interest cost

  (6,177)  (4,307)

Actuarial gain

  (6,848)  81,772 

Exchange differences

  (6,905)  23,823 

Benefits paid

  7,295   5,695 

Ending balance

 $(148,167) $(135,182)

 

Movements in fair value of plan assets were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Opening balance

 $123,840  $212,688 

Actual return on plan assets

  9,296   (67,536)

Exchange differences

  6,344   (20,776)

Contributions from the sponsoring companies

  5,540   5,159 

Benefits paid

  (7,295)  (5,695)

Ending balance

 $137,725  $123,840 

 

The actual return on plan assets consists of the following (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

  

2021

 

Expected return on plan assets

 $6,977  $6,796  $5,499 

Actuarial (loss) gain on plan assets

  2,319   (74,332)  11,378 

Actual return on plan assets

 $9,296  $(67,536) $16,877 

 

Information for pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Accumulated benefit obligation

 $147,129  $134,102 

Fair value of plan assets

 $137,725  $123,840 

 

The investment strategy of the main U.K. plan (“U.K. Plan”) is set by the trustees and is based on advice received from an investment consultant. The primary investment objective for the U.K. Plan is to achieve an overall rate of return that is sufficient to provide that assets are available to meet all liabilities as and when they become due. In doing so, the aim is to maximize returns at an acceptable level of risk taking into consideration the circumstances of the U.K. Plan. 

 

The investment strategy has been determined after considering the U.K. Plan’s liability profile and requirements of the U.K. statutory funding objective, and an appropriate level of investment risk.

 

Taking all these factors into consideration, approximately 45% of the assets are invested in a growth portfolio, comprising diversified growth funds (“DGFs”) and property, and approximately 55% of the assets in a stabilizing portfolio, comprising corporate bonds and liability driven investments. DGFs are actively managed multi-asset funds. The managers of the DGFs aim to deliver equity like returns in the long term, with lower volatility. They seek to do this by investing in a wide range of assets and investment contracts in order to implement their market views.

 

The present value of the U.K. Plan’s future benefits payments to members is sensitive to changes in long term interest rates and long-term inflation expectations. Liability driven investment (“LDI”) funds are more sensitive to changes in these factors and therefore provide more efficient hedging than traditional bonds. A small proportion of the assets have therefore been invested in LDI funds to help to reduce the volatility of the U.K. Plan’s funding position. The hedging level is expected to be increased over time as the U.K. Plan’s funding position improves.

 

Assets of the other plans are invested in a combination of equity, bonds, real estate and insurance contracts.

 

The analysis of the plan assets and the expected rate of return at the reporting date were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31, 2023

  

December 31, 2022

 
  

Expected rate

  

Fair value of

  

Expected rate

  

Fair value of

 
  

of return %

  

asset

  

of return %

  

asset

 

Mutual funds

                

DGFs

  7.7  $64,023   7.5  $55,633 

LDI funds

  4.2   47,283   4.0   45,170 

Bond funds

  4.4   24,835   4.5   21,899 

Equities

  3.7   185   1.8   188 

Other assets

  4.0   1,399   2.2   950 

Total

     $137,725      $123,840 

 

The aggregated asset categorization for the plans were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31, 2023

 
  

Level 1

  

Level 2

  

Level 3

  

Total

 

Mutual funds:

                

DGFs

 $64,023  $-  $-  $64,023 

LDI funds

  47,283   -   -   47,283 

Bond funds

  24,835   -   -   24,835 

Equities

  185   -   -   185 

Other assets

  785   277   337   1,399 

Total

 $137,111  $277  $337  $137,725 

 

  

December 31, 2022

 
  

Level 1

  

Level 2

  

Level 3

  

Total

 

Mutual funds:

                

DGFs

 $55,633  $-  $-  $55,633 

LDI funds

  45,170   -   -   45,170 

Bond funds

  21,899   -   -   21,899 

Equities

  188   -   -   188 

Other assets

  172   395   383   950 

Total

 $123,062  $395  $383  $123,840 

 

Other assets primarily represent insurance contracts. The fair value is estimated, based on the underlying defined benefit obligation assumed by the insurers.

 

Movements in fair value of Level 3 assets were as follows (in thousands):

 

  

December 31,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Opening balance

 $383  $360 

Actual return on plan assets

  10   6 

Exchange differences

  (88)  (6)

Contributions from the sponsoring companies

  32   23 

Ending balance

 $337  $383