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Pension Coverage 2024

Type of Pension Coverage

Online ISSN: 2811-616X

CSO statistical publication, 19 December 2024, 11am

One in five workers with pension cover have both occupational and personal pensions

Of those in employment who had a pension in Quarter 3 2024, almost seven in ten (69%) had occupational pension coverage only (from current or previous employments) – down one percentage point on the same period in 2023. However, over one in five (21%) have both occupational and personal pension cover for their retirement, up one percentage point on the same period in 2023. The level of personal pension cover has marginally increased – 11% of workers compared with one in ten (10%) in the same period in 2023.
The prevalence of pension cover from both occupational and personal pension schemes, increased both for males and females in 2024 – 22% of males with pension cover had both occupational and personal pension schemes, compared with nearly one in five (19%) female workers, unchanged from when the survey was last carried out in 2023.
Over three quarters of workers (with pension cover) in the Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security (80%) and Education (76%) NACE economic sectors had occupational pension only. Just around one in five working in these sectors (with pension cover) had both occupational and personal pension cover - Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security (20%) and Education (21%).
Almost one quarter (24%) of Managers, Directors, and Senior Officials and Professionals (with pension cover) had both occupational and personal pension schemes, compared with only one in ten (10%) of workers with pension coverage in the Caring, Leisure, and Other Services broad occupational group, and one in seven (14%) of persons working in the Administrative and Secretarial and Process, Plant, and Machine Operatives broad occupational groups. See Figure 3.1, Tables 3.1 & 3.2

Table 3.1 Persons in employment (ILO) with a pension by type of pension, sex, age group, nationality, employment status, and hours of work, Q3 2022 to Q3 2024

Table 3.2 Persons in employment (ILO) with a pension by type of pension, NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector and broad occupational group, Q3 2022 to Q3 2024

Table 3.2 Persons in employment (ILO) with a pension by type of pension, NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector and broad occupational group¹, Q3 2022 to Q3 2024
% of persons aged 20-69 in employment with pension cover
		Type of pension
		Occupational pension only			Personal pension only			Both occupational and personal pension
		Q3 2022²	Q3 2023³	Q3 2024	Q3 2022²	Q3 2023³	Q3 2024	Q3 2022²	Q3 2023³	Q3 2024
State		73	70	69	10	10	11	17	20	21

NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector
A	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	19	27	35	68	61	52	13	12	13
B-E	Industry	80	76	74	6	6	8	15	18	18
F	Construction	57	57	59	30	20	16	14	23	25
G	Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles	66	69	65	21	14	18	15	17	17
H	Transportation and Storage	78	66	68	10	12	11	12	23	21
I	Accommodation and Food Service Activities	[51]	61	55	[36]	27	28	[13]	12	17
J	Information and Communication	79	72	68	10	10	10	11	18	22
K-L	Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities	77	76	76	6	5	5	17	19	19
M	Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities	69	57	57	14	17	18	18	27	25
N	Administrative and Support Service Activities	69	67	65	15	18	18	16	15	18
O	Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security	78	77	80	1	1	0	22	22	20
P	Education	81	76	76	1	3	3	17	21	21
Q	Human Health and Social Work Activities	78	72	69	4	6	8	18	23	23
R-U	Other NACE Activities	66	53	52	18	22	30	16	25	18

Broad Occupational Group
1.	Managers, Directors and Senior Officials	59	58	61	20	16	16	22	25	24
2.	Professionals	77	70	68	6	7	8	17	23	24
3.	Associate Professional and Technical	75	74	73	6	7	6	19	20	21
4.	Administrative and Secretarial	77	76	77	8	6	8	15	18	14
5.	Skilled Trades	78	76	71	9	8	12	12	16	17
6.	Caring, Leisure and Other Services	24	20	29	67	67	61	9	13	10
7.	Sales and Customer Service	57	66	66	25	14	17	18	20	18
8.	Process, Plant and Machine Operatives	81	74	72	8	14	15	11	13	14
9.	Elementary⁴	81	71	72	6	15	10	14	14	18
¹ Refer to Background Notes for the definition of the ILO Labour Force classification of persons in employment.
²Includes only occupational pensions from current employment and personal pensions in current contribution.
³Includes occupational pensions from current/previous employments and personal pensions, including deferred pensions and pensions in draw-down mode.
⁴ Elementary occupations involve the performance of simple and routine tasks which may require the use of hand-held tools and considerable physical effort. Examples include cleaning, restocking supplies and performing basic maintenance tasks, helping in kitchens and performing simple tasks in food preparation, delivering messages or goods, etc.
[ ] Figures in parentheses indicate percentages based on small numbers and are, therefore, subject to a wide margin of error.