Employer contributions are crucial to boosting pension savings for over half (54%) of those enrolled in a defined contribution pension scheme in the UK, new research has revealed.
Scottish Widows’ latest Workplace Pensions Report found that since the introduction of auto-enrolment within large and medium-sized businesses, more than half (52%) of employees in medium-sized businesses are now saving adequately – up six percentage points in the past 12 months.

Some four in 10 (39%) now feel optimistic about their long-term future, compared to 36% in 2014. The number of employees saving adequately in large businesses has leapt from 53% two years ago, to 66%, as an increasing number look towards their workplace pension as a key retirement income, says Scottish Widows.

Six out of 10 workers in larger organisations said they would rely on a company pension for a reasonable standard of living in retirement, compared to 40% for employees working for medium businesses and just 32% for small businesses. There has been a marked increase on these figures across the board in the last 12 months, with the biggest increase – nine percentage points– seen among employees of large companies.

The research found more than a third of medium to large business employees see workplace pension schemes as a major incentive when considering a career move.

With auto-enrolment a significant driver behind the uplift in savings and positivity, smaller businesses yet to reach their staging dates are still significantly lagging behind. Just four in 10 (40%) of employees of small businesses are saving adequately, while a third (30%) confess they are saving nothing at all towards retirement, compared to only 11% of those working for large businesses.

More than a quarter (29%) of mid-sized organisations’ workers and almost a quarter (24%) of employees at the largest organisations think that employers should increase contributions by a little each year.

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Almost a quarter (23%) of those working in larger companies say employers should pay for full independent financial advice, while 41% feel employers should provide information on how to budget for retirement. In comparison, those working for smaller businesses think that individuals should increase their own contributions or be reminded to do so by their employer, and only 27% think it’s up to employers to provide budgeting advice.

Lynn Graves, corporate pensions expert at Scottish Widows, said: “Three years since the introduction of auto-enrolment, employees are really starting to reap the benefits of workplace pension savings. As workers begin to understand the positive impact of auto-enrolment, businesses need to ask themselves whether they are providing enough ongoing support to encourage staff to be more engaged with longer term savings.”

To coincide with Pension Awareness Day next week (15 September), Scottish Widows and Pension Geeks, in association with The People’s Pension, will be embarking upon a five-city tour to provide the UK population with practical advice and tips to help them understand the importance of saving for retirement.

Individuals and businesses will be able to visit the pop-up interactive pension information centre in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London between 14 and 18 September.