Challenges for the private pension system in the UK and policy proposals to address them

We identify key challenges and develop policy proposals for the UK private pension system, which is increasingly reliant on defined contribution plans. The key challenges are: a significant share of employees, and the vast majority of self-employed workers, are not saving in a private pension; even among savers, low contribution rates mean many are on track for inadequate retirement incomes; and people face complex decumulation decisions, where few take financial advice or buy annuities. We propose: increases in default contribution rates which rise faster as people earn more; a minimum employer pension contribution irrespective of whether employees contribute; facilitation of private pension saving for self-employed workers; and people should be guided towards partial annuitisation later in retirement to provide some longevity insurance.