The Conference Board of Canada’s latest pension risk survey finds that concerns about pension funding remain, but worries have eased a bit.

The organization reports that two-thirds of respondents to its survey still believe there is a pension funding crisis in Canada. However, the percentage who think it will be long-lasting has dropped from 61% in 2006 to 48% in 2007 for chief financial officers, and from 67% to 40% for vice-presidents of human resources.

That said, funding deficits remain a “serious challenge” for more than half of respondents, it notes. And, as a result, many employers are still converting defined benefit plans into defined contribution plans.

Notwithstanding the appeal of DC plans from a funding perspective, the survey also finds that respondents favour DB plans as a way for attracting and retaining high-quality employees.

The survey is based on a sample of 147 respondents from 141 different organizations. The survey’s preliminary findings were released at the 2007 Pensions Summit in May.