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Occupational Pensions

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The proportion of workers with an occupational pension from their current employment who identified their pension as a Defined Contribution pension was 63.9%, and 33.8% of workers had a Defined Benefit occupational pension from their current job, while 2.3% had a Hybrid pension. Rates of Defined Benefit occupational pension cover is highest for the older age groups, with 48.2% of females and 44.3% of males in the 55 to 69 years age group having a Defined Benefit occupational pension in their current employment. By comparison, of employees aged 25 to 34 years, just 26.8% of males and 31.5% of females had a Defined Benefit occupational pension from their current employment, as did just 27% of males and 36.3% of females in the 35 to 44 years age group. See Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1.

Self-employed persons, who did not have an occupational pension, were asked if they had an occupational pension from a previous employment. Over seven in ten (71.3%) confirmed they had a Defined Contribution pension, while 26.1% had a Defined Benefit occupational pension and 2.7% were part of a Hybrid pension scheme from a previous employment. See Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1.

Show Table: Table 4.1 Persons with occupational pension coverage by pension type Q3 2020

Defined BenefitDefined ContributionHybrid
Employees with an occupational pension from their current employment33.863.92.3
Employees with occupational pension only from a previous employment21.277.61.2
Self employed persons with occupational pension from a previous employment26.171.32.7
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Over half of employees (52.2%) without an occupational pension said that their employer did not offer a pension scheme, while 24.4% had chosen not to join their employer's pension scheme. A further 12.5% of employees without an occupational pension were not eligible to join their employer’s occupational pension scheme. See Table 4.2.

Of part-time workers who do not have occupational pension coverage from their current job, 18.7% stated that they are not eligible to join their employer’s pension scheme, compared with 9.6% of full-time workers. Just 13% of part-time workers chose not to join their employer’s pension scheme, while 54.3% reported that their employer did not offer a pension scheme, compared with just over half (51.2%) of full-time workers. See Table 4.2 and Figure 4.2.

Show Table: Table 4.2 Employees aged 20 to 69 years who do not have an occupational pension by reasons for not having an occupational pension Q3 2020

X-axis labelMaleFemale
My employer does not offer a company pension scheme50.853.5
I have chosen not to join my employer's pension scheme29.220
I am not eligible to join my employer's pension scheme9.815
Not stated10.211.5

The most common sectors where the employer did not offer a pension scheme for employees were the Skilled Trades (65.7%) and Elementary (59.9%) occupational groups. See Table 4.3.

Show Table: Table 4.3 Employees' reasons for not having an occupational pension by NACE economic sector and broad occupational group Q3 2020

Go to next chapter: Personal Pensions