Warning of pension contributions shortfall may be overblown
The typical pension scheme member is only contributing 5% of pay to their pension, raising questions about whether they will have enough to retire on. Yet the situation may not be as gloomy as many people suggest.

Pension-scheme membership hit a record high last year, with some 46 million Britons enrolled in at least one workplace scheme, new official figures reveal. But, the typical pension scheme member is only contributing 5% of pay to their pension, plus their employer's contribution, raising questions about whether they will have enough to retire on.
On the one hand, the growth in pension-scheme membership under the auto-enrolment system introduced in 2012 represents a substantial success. The system requires all employers to offer staff a pension plan and pay into it on behalf of those who have not specifically opted out.
Over time, the minimum contribution levels have been significantly increased. In April 2018, the minimum contribution was set at 5% of salary, with employers ordered to pay at least 2% of this; these minimums were raised to 8% and 3% respectively in April 2019. And while the average total pension contribution made by members of defined-contribution schemes rose to 5% last year from 3.4% in 2017, members of the typical final-salary (defined benefit) pension plan enjoyed a 25.6% total contribution.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Yet the situation may not be as gloomy as these figures suggest. Young people will often have started saving much earlier than previous generations. And as Merryn Somerset-Webb pointed out recently, our pension system is currently in good shape.
According to figures from broker Interactive Investor, if you start work on £20,000 at 30, stay opted in, see your salary rise by 1% in real terms a year and make annual net returns of 5%, you will end with savings of nearly £200,000. "In terms of the absolute levels of assets in its pensions, the UK is one of the best-set countries in the world".
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

David Prosser is a regular MoneyWeek columnist, writing on small business and entrepreneurship, as well as pensions and other forms of tax-efficient savings and investments. David has been a financial journalist for almost 30 years, specialising initially in personal finance, and then in broader business coverage. He has worked for national newspaper groups including The Financial Times, The Guardian and Observer, Express Newspapers and, most recently, The Independent, where he served for more than three years as business editor.
-
London Stock Exchange gets go-ahead to run Pisces private stock market
The Pisces market will allow investors to buy and sell shares in private companies. But how will it work, when will it launch, and who is allowed to use it?
-
Could landlords face National Insurance on rental income?
The Treasury is said to be considering a tax increase for landlords in an attempt to boost revenue in Rachel Reeves’s Autumn Budget