Half of workers have pension coverage - CSO

Just over half workers aged between 20 and 69 had pension coverage according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today.

The 51.5 per cent covered in the first quarter of 2005 represents a decrease of 0.9 per cent over the previous year.

An advert to launch National Pension Awareness week last year; in 2005 pension cover for employees remained higher than for the self-employed.

These figures are based on a survey update module on pensions, which was included in the Quarterly National Household Survey in the first quarter of 2005.

In 2005 pension cover for employees remained higher than for the self-employed, with the overall coverage rates for both groups remaining more or less unchanged over the year.

The coverage rate for employees in 2004 was 54.4 per cent, while the rate recorded in 2005 was 53.3 per cent. The coverage rate for the self-employed and those assisting relatives in 2004 was 43.1 per cent and 43.0 per cent in 2005.

The proportion of employees covered only by an occupational pension increased from 40.4 per cent in 2004 to 44.7 per cent in 2005.

In contrast the percentage of employees with only a personal pension fell from 6.3 per cent to 5.1 per cent over the same period. There was also a fall from 7.7 per cent in 2004 to 3.5 per cent in 2005 in the percentage of employees who reported both occupational and personal pension cover.

The CSO also said pension coverage for women increased from 46.8 per cent in 2004 to 47.5 per cent in 2005. Even though the coverage rate for men fell between 2004 and 2005 (56.3 per cent to 54.2 per cent) they continued to have a higher rate of coverage than women.

Regional coverage rates increased in Dublin and the Midlands, while it is estimated that coverage rates fell in the West, Mid-East, Mid-West, South-East and South-West.

The highest rate of cover remains in the Mid-East (57.7 per cent). The lowest rate of cover was in the West (43.3 per cent).