More than a million people in the U.K. are at high risk of falling short of a minimum retirement income standard, according to new research from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association — which could potentially affect how long different generation members stay in the workforce.
Although the Pensions Act 2008, requiring automatic enrollment for certain staff into a pension plan employers contribute to, is expected to help millions, 13.6 million people in the U.K. are still at risk of not meeting their target replacement rate.
The PLSA is recommending increasing minimum contribution levels to at least 12 percent of qualifying earnings, which may particularly help millennials, who’ll be the first to experience the U.K. pension system with the full basic state pension and the ability to save over a full career through automatic enrollment.
Millennials in a defined contribution scheme, though, will likely need higher pension contributions and will also probably have to work slightly longer, according to the PLSA.
Baby boomers in the workforce who have not accrued defined benefit pension entitlement may be facing retirement income difficulties, PLSA says; the organization suggests working later could make a significant difference by allowing boomers to save more and decreasing the amount of time they’ll be dependent on retirement income.
For more on PLSA’s findings, view more of its results.