Since the 2022 CSO Survey on Supplementary Pension Coverage, questions on awareness of and interest in partaking in the Government's planned Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme were included in the survey questionnaire. The Government scheme commenced in January 2026. The survey is carried out in Quarter 3 (Q3) each year and in the 2026 survey, questions will be included on employees’ awareness of and participation in the Government Auto-Enrolment Scheme in 2026.
Under this scheme, workers who do not have an occupational pension will be automatically enrolled in a new retirement savings scheme if they are aged between 23 and 60. The employer and the State will also contribute to the retirement savings scheme on their behalf. More information on this Government scheme is available in the Background Notes.
In Q3 2025 these questions on the Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme, were asked only of respondents who had no occupational pension cover from their current employment.
The retirement savings scheme only applies to people aged between 23 and 60. However, all respondents aged 20 to 69 years who do not have occupational pension coverage from their current employment, were asked about their awareness of the retirement savings scheme.
- Of workers with no occupational pension from their current employment, over four in ten (42%) were aware of the Government’s Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme, up from 28% in 2024.
- Analysis by age group shows that males with no current occupational pension cover (43%) were marginally more aware of the scheme than females (42%). There was an increase in awareness of the Government scheme across all age groups, but males aged 45 to 54 years were most aware of the scheme (62%), compared with 58% of females in the same age group.
- Of respondents who are eligible to be auto-enrolled in this retirement savings scheme (aged between 23 and 60 with no occupational cover from their current employment), 45% were aware of the scheme (29% in 2024), compared with three in ten (30%) employees who were not eligible for the scheme (aged less than 23 or 60 years and over but can self-enrol in the scheme) but were aware of it.
- Almost half (49%) of Irish nationals had heard of the Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme, up from 31% of Irish nationals in 2024. This compares with just short of one-quarter (24%) of non-Irish nationals (16% in the same period in 2024).
- Of respondents who are eligible to be auto-enrolled in this retirement savings scheme (aged between 23 and 60 with no occupational cover from their current employment), and were aware of the scheme, over seven in ten (74%) said that they would stay in the scheme if automatically enrolled in it, up from 72% in 2024.
- Over three-quarters (77%) of employees who were aware of the Government Retirement Savings Scheme and are eligible for it and would stay in the scheme if auto-enrolled in it, had said that the reason for their not having occupational cover from their current employment was that their employer did not offer an occupational pension scheme.
Workers who are outside the age range for auto-enrolment in the scheme, can opt-in to the scheme. Respondents in this age range (20 to 22 years or 60 to 69 years) were asked if they were likely to opt-in to the scheme.
- Of workers to whom the scheme does not apply (with no occupational pension from their current employment but not aged between 23 and 60), almost half (47%) said that they would opt-in to the scheme, up from 38% of eligible workers in the same period in 2024. Of such employees who are not automatically eligible to be enrolled in the scheme (but can opt in to the scheme), 53% of employees with no occupational pension cover in their current employment, said that their current employer does not offer an occupational pension scheme, but they would opt-in to the Government scheme.
