Fewer than a third (29 per cent) of U.S. employees say they’re building a large enough retirement nest egg, according to a survey by non-profit organization Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.
The survey, which polled 5,800 workers, found 47 per cent of respondents expect to retire after age 65 or don’t plan to retire at all. A quarter (24 per cent) expect to retire later than planned because of the coronavirus pandemic.
About eight in 10 (79 per cent) employees said they’re saving in an employer-sponsored retirement plan and/or a plan outside the workplace. And two-fifths (39 per cent) of these workers have tapped their retirement accounts, including 29 per cent who have taken a loan and 27 per cent who have taken an early and/or hardship withdrawal.
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Among self-employed workers, 63 per cent said they expect to retire after age 65 or don’t plan to retire. Among the 68 per cent who said they’re saving for retirement, 79 per cent are saving in one or more types of tax-advantaged retirement account, with a traditional or Roth individual retirement account being the most common (44 per cent).
Among unemployed workers, a third (33 per cent) reported they expect to rely on social security as their primary source of income in retirement. However, 72 per cent said they’re concerned social security won’t be there for them when they’re ready to retire.
When asked what political measures could help employees have a financially secure retirement, only a third (31 per cent) cited the expansion of workplace retirement plans to all employees. By comparison, the most popular responses were addressing social security’s funding shortfalls (51 per cent), making out-of-pocket health-care expenses and prescription drugs more affordable (42 per cent), addressing Medicare’s funding shortfalls (41 per cent), increasing access to affordable housing (33 per cent) and supporting family caregivers (32 per cent).
Read: Survey finds half of young U.S. employees withdrawing early from retirement savings