The U.S. business group of Sun Life Financial Inc. has launched a data analytics decision-support tool to help brokers and employers design more effective employee benefits solutions.

The Benefit Profile uses employer-specific demographics and robust industry benchmark data to develop insights enabling brokers to design and recommend optimal benefits plans and enrollment strategies to employers.

“Rising health care costs are forcing employers to find new ways to maintain an attractive benefits package without breaking the bank," Tom Gilligan, vice president of Sun Life U.S. distribution operations, said in a statement. “The Benefit Profile provides brokers a new level of analytical sophistication to help employers adopt the best benefits plan design given the various demographic profiles within their workforce."

The Benefit Profile’s big data technology synthesizes an employer’s own census data and a broad range of industry benchmarks to provide a graphic analysis that compares gender, age and income to benchmarks based on buying patterns reflected in Sun Life policy records, and complemented by industry resources such as Group MarketShare LLC.

“The Benefit Profile turns a wealth of data into actionable insight that is presented in a dashboard format, empowering brokers to deliver a highly customized, versatile benefits plan designed for each employer," Sun Life’s Bilal Kazmi, assistant vice president of analytics and innovations marketing, said in the statement. "It’s a way for employers to assess demographic risks and provide employees with a customized range of protection options. This innovation helps employers fine tune what’s working, adapt to changes in their industry and region, protect their employees, and stay competitive year after year.”