---

Little change in pension-coverage figure

Official figures show that there was little change in supplementary pension coverage this year, with 67% of those in employment having some form of coverage outside the State pension. 

The figure represented a drop of one percentage point compared with 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 

The CSO survey on pension coverage was carried out in the third quarter of this year. 

Pension coverage was lowest among younger workers, with 27% of workers aged 20 to 24 covered – down six points compared with the 2023 figure.

Pension coverage remained greatest among workers aged 45 to 54 years (80%). 

Affordability 

For those workers with no occupational pension coverage from their current employment, more than half (53%) stated that their employer did not offer a pension scheme – up three percentage points on the same period in 2023. 

Of workers with no supplementary pension cover, more than four in ten (43%) said that they had never got around to organising it or would organise it at a future date, while for almost half (48%) aged 55 to 69 years, affordability was the main reason given. 

For employees with occupational pensions from their current employment, the percentage on ‘defined-benefit’ schemes decreased in 2024 (26% compared with 30% in 2023), while the number with ‘defined-contribution’ pensions increased to 69% from 66% in 2023.  

Auto-enrolment awareness 

Almost three in ten (29%) of employees aged between 23 and 60 who are eligible for the Government’s auto-enrolment pension scheme were aware of it. This figure was up from 20% last year. 

Of those that were aware, 72% said that they would be willing to remain in the scheme. 

The scheme is aimed at workers aged 23 to 60 years with no occupational pension cover from their current employer. It is due to start in September 2025.