A module on the topic of pension coverage among workers aged between 20 and
69 years was included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the
fourth quarter (October – December) of 2009.

Summary of main findings

• There was a slight fall in the rate of workers with a pension in Quarter 4 2009 compared with Quarter 1 2008. Just over half (51%) of workers aged between 20 and 69 years had a pension in Quarter 4 2009. This compares with 54% in Quarter 1 2008 and 52% in Quarter 4 2005.
• Pension coverage among self-employed workers fell considerably from 47% in Quarter 1 2008 to 36% in Quarter 4 2009. In comparison, coverage among employees fell only slightly from 55% to 54% over the same period.
• Pension coverage remained lowest among the youngest workers. In Quarter 4 2009 19% of workers aged between 20 and 24 years had a pension, compared with 60% of workers aged between 45 and 54.
• In Quarter 4 2009 19% of workers with a pension had a personal pension, compared with 25% in Quarter 1 2008. The proportion of workers with an occupational pension increased from 68% to 77% over the same period.
• The most common reason given for not having a pension, reported by one third of workers without a pension in Quarter 4 2009, was that they could not afford a pension. In addition, just over one fifth (21%) of workers said that they ‘never got around’ to organising a pension.
• In Quarter 4 2009 53% of workers reported that they expected to retire aged between 60 and 69 years. Just over one third of workers (34%) did not know when they would retire.
• 41% of workers in Quarter 4 2009 said that they expected an occupational or personal pension would be their main source of income when they retired. This compares with 50% of workers in Quarter 4 2005.
• The percentage of workers who expected the state social welfare old age pension to be their main source of retirement income rose from 20% in Quarter 4 2005 to 26% in Quarter 4 2009.

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