Increasing the role of retirement savings plans for workers in non-standard forms of work 

07/12/2020 – This chapter in the 2020 edition of the OECD Pensions Outlook discusses policy options to increase the role of retirement savings plans for workers in non-standard forms of work, based on the experience of OECD and non-OECD countries. It first describes the characteristics of workers in non-standard forms of work and the implications for their ability and capacity to save for retirement. It then identifies gaps in their retirement income protection given the current balance between public and private provisions. The chapter ends with policy options, distinguishing different categories of workers in non-standard forms of work, to encourage them to join and regularly contribute to retirement savings plans.

Watch this video for a brief overview of the main messages contained in this chapter.

Are funded pensions well designed to adapt to non-standard forms of work?

27/11/2019 – This chapter in the 2019 edition of Pensions at a Glance looks at the design features of funded pension arrangements to see how they may affect participation, contributions and pension outcomes of different categories of workers. The purpose is to determine whether their design is well adapted to the situation of workers in non-standard forms of work to help them save for retirement.

Formal access to retirement savings plans of workers in non-standard forms of work: Country profiles of design features

27/11/2019 – This stocktaking report describes the design features of retirement savings plans affecting participation, contribution levels and pension income outcomes of different categories of workers as of the end of 2019. It covers all OECD countries, non-OECD EU Member States plus Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Peru and South Africa.

About the OECD-EU project

Launched in 2018, the OECD-EU Project on the role of funded pensions in providing retirement income to people in non-standard forms of work analyses whether workers in non-standard forms of work, either self-employed or employed under non-standard contracts, require different forms of funded pension provision and different incentives to participate in the pension system. It examines funded pension coverage and contributions for different segments of the “non-standard” labour force within the OECD and the EU and considers whether policies introduced in a number of jurisdictions to increase coverage and contributions of certain categories of workers in non-standard forms of work could be applied across other segments and countries.

The project addresses the following questions:

• How can the workforce engaged in non-standard forms of work be divided into smaller categories to properly assess the role of pensions in providing retirement income?

• What is the formal access to funded pensions, through either occupational or personal arrangements, of each category across the OECD and the EU?

• What are the requirements and constraints of each category in terms of funded pension access, design and affordability?

• What approaches can be suggested to increase coverage and contribution levels?

• What are the implications of the growth in non-standard forms of work for the balance between public and private pension provision?

Download the full project description

Contacts

Pablo Antolin (tel: +33-1 45 24 90 86 | pablo.antolin@oecd.org)

Stéphanie Payet (tel: +33-1 45 24 15 24 | stephanie.payet@oecd.org)

DOCUMENTS AND LINKS

Pensions Outlook

Pension Markets in Focus

Mortality and life expectancy - Longevity risk

Life annuity products and their guarantees

Improving the design of retirement saving pension plans

Global pension statistics

Pensions at a Glance

Co-funded by the
European Union