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Preparing for the National Pension Savings Scheme - UK - April 2008

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: Apr. 1, 2008 - 104 Pages


Table of Contents


ISSUES IN THE MARKET

Mintel asks

Key issues

Market definitions

Figure 1: Types of private pension provision in the UK

Occupational schemes

Individual pensions

Benefit structures

Abbreviations

MARKET IN BRIEF

Radical new plans proposed

So who are the proposals aimed at?

Impetus for the reforms

For and against

Figure 2: Positive and negative implications of the NPSS

Financial impact on SMEs

So what do consumers think of the plans?

Reasons for opting out

BROADER MARKET ENVIRONMENT

Key points

The demographic time bomb

The longevity risk

Figure 3: Cohort life expectancy at age 60, by gender, 1981-2054

Old age dependency ratio forecast to rise to 45% by 2044

Figure 4: Projected size of the UK population, by age band, 2007-44

Job mobility has increased, while job stability has lessened

Greater onus on saving on the run up to the scheme’s introduction

Figure 5: Total personal disposable income (PDI), consumer expenditure and savings, 2003-12

INTERNAL MARKET ENVIRONMENT

Key points

Employer support for pensions has declined

Figure 6: Trends in occupational scheme coverage, by gender and working status, 1989-2006

Affordability is top reason for lack of pension savings

Figure 7: Reasons for not saving in a pension, November 2006

Cost matters

Past mistakes still undermine trust in the industry

Constant change weakens confidence

Apathy reigns

Some employees shun the company scheme

People are most likely to equate pensions with ‘a comfortable retirement’

Figure 8: Words and phrases associated with pensions, by pension members and NPSS targets, December 2007

SCHEME OUTLINE

Key points

So what’s proposed?

Measures to support existing arrangements

Qualifying schemes

Delivered in three stages

Positive ramifications

Points of contention

What pension providers have said about the scheme

COUNTING THE COSTS

Key points

1.2 million private-sector employers in the UK

Figure 9: Number of private-sector enterprises, employees and turnover - UK, by size band, 2006

The financial impact - smallest firms will be hit the hardest

Figure 10: Estimated costs for small firms at 2007/08 prices

Dispute over the ‘real’ cost to employers

The money has to come from somewhere

Auto-enrolment: suitable for all?

PADA consult on the charging structure

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Figure 11: The pensions industry and personal accounts - SWOT analysis, 2008

THE SIZE OF THE TARGET MARKET

Key points

Potentially 9 million enrolled

Figure 12: The size of the NPSS target market, 2007 and 2012

Exemptions

PROFILE OF THE TARGET MARKET

Key points

Two thirds of the target group are aged 22-44

Figure 13: Penetration and profile of NPSS targets, by gender, age, socio-economic group, lifestage and marital stage, December 2007

Most NPSS targets are in the low-to-mid income range

Figure 14: Penetration and profile of NPSS targets, by tenure, working status, household income, ACORN category and region, December 2007

More than two thirds of the target audience are Internet users

Figure 15: Penetration and profile of NPSS targets, by new technology usage, newspaper readership, commercial TV viewing and supermarket usage December 2007

COMPETITIVE CONTEXT

Key points

OCCUPATIONAL PENSION SCHEMES

Private-sector schemes in decline

Figure 16: Number of occupational pension schemes in the UK, by sector, 2000, 2004 and 2006

Data illustrate reduced employer support for pensions

Participation in context

DC schemes far outnumber DB

Figure 17: Number of open and closed private-sector single-section schemes, by benefit structure and size band, 2006

Multi-section schemes

Active membership in the private sector has steadily fallen

Figure 18: Number of occupational scheme members, by sector, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2006

Two thirds of private-sector members are men

Figure 19: Proportion of active members, by gender and sector, 2006

CURRENT FRAMEWORK FOR WORKPLACE PENSIONS

Figure 20: Types of workplace pension, 2007

Size of the insurance-administered sector

Figure 21: Insurance-administered occupational and individual pension business in force, by product type, 2003-06

THE MAIN PENSION PROVIDERS

Key points

Impact on the pensions industry

Current competitive environment

Standard Life topped the pension provider rankings in 2006

Figure 22: Top ten pensions providers by APE, 2006

ADVICE SOURCES AND PRODUCT DELIVERY

Key points

Intermediaries dominate the sale of insurance-administered schemes

In-house run schemes also make use of advisers

Non-pension members are more likely to trust friends and family than an IFA to give them good pensions advice

Figure 23: Most trusted sources of pensions advice, December 2007

THE CONSUMER - PENSION PARTICIPATION

Key points

About Mintel’s consumer survey

Less than half of all non-retired adults are contributing to a pension…

Figure 24: Proportion of adults who are active members of a pension, by type, December 2007

…and this proportion appears to have declined

Figure 25: Proportion of adults who are active members of a pension, by type, April 2006 and December 2007

Gender gap has narrowed

Figure 26: Pension ownership by gender, age, socio-economic group and working status, December 2007

APPENDIX: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Abstract

Encouraging more people to make provision for their own retirement is a primary aim of the UK government. Reform after reform has centred on restoring consumer faith in the pensions industry and boosting take-up of pensions, albeit with varying degrees of success. Examples include the launch of stakeholder pensions in April 2001, and a new simplified pensions tax regime in April 2006.

Further monumental change is but a few years away, with the launch of a new national pension savings scheme (NPSS). The introduction of personal accounts in 2012 will dramatically alter the UK pensions landscape. While many feel it is a move in the right direction, there are numerous concerns and practicalities to work out. Pension companies question how the scheme can be administered effectively within proposed pricing limitations, while employers are anxious about the added cost burden.

This report will examine the arguments for and against the NPSS, and explore the issues surrounding it, by drawing on the expert views of pension providers, as well as the opinions of those who will likely be enrolled in the scheme. We investigate the reasons why more than half of the UK’s working population is not currently saving in a pension; and identify and profile the target market for personal accounts. We also assess the level of consumer support for the proposed scheme and the process of auto-enrolment.

Mintel asks:
  • What are personal accounts?
  • Why does the government want to introduce them?
  • Who is the target audience for the NPSS?
  • What do these people think of the scheme?
  • What proportion of NPSS targets is likely to opt out of the scheme, and why?
  • What do pension providers and employers think of the government’s proposals? What are the main bones of contention?



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