October 23, 2012
--- Seventy
percent of people surveyed in Europe and the United States
believe workplace retirement plans are “somewhat” or “extremely”
important. ---
Twenty-two percent expect a defined benefit (DB) plan to be
the most important means of preparing for their retirement—compared with 21%
who give this importance to government retirement benefits. Only about one in
10 employees expect other forms of personal plans and long-term savings to
provide the majority of their retirement income.
The survey found workplace plans remain a central part of
many people’s retirement planning: 67% agree with the statement that such plans
are “a basic part of any worker’s pay.”This agreement ranges across countries
from highs in the U.S. (78%), the U.K. (76%) and the Netherlands (74%) to lows
in countries such as France (63%) and Hungary (55%).
The idea of shared responsibility was also discovered by the
survey; 75% of respondents agreed that funding retirement “should be a balanced
approach in which individuals, employers and the government all play an equal
role.” A majority of employees in all countries agree that employers should
continue to provide for employees’ retirement plans. This peaks at 84% of
employees in the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.