Indian employees dependent on employers for post-retirement income: survey

Minimal social security benefits and inadequate awareness about suitable retirement savings vehicles have resulted in employees becoming over dependent on retirement plans provided by employers.

Accordingly, employer retirement plans have emerged as the top source of income for retirement for majority of employees, according to the Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, conducted by Towers Watson.

Employees who are members of a retirement plan believe that their most important income sources during retirement are likely to be their employer retirement plan, followed by savings/investments and property.  

This trend is accentuated amongst employees approaching retirement, with 78 per cent (of those with a retirement plan) saying their retirement plan is the primary way they save for retirement, compared to 68 per cent of those under forty.

Interestingly, only 12 per cent of Indian employees who agree their retirement plan meets their needs plan to leave their organisation in the next two years compared to 39 per cent of those who disagree the plan meets their needs, signalling a noteworthy co-relation between the two and a likely confirmation that retirement benefits are emerging as an important retention driver.

The survey undertaken across 12 countries, drawing participation from 22,347 employees working for large, non-government employers, shows emerging economies like India and China enjoy a higher savings culture as compared to their western counterparts like the US and the UK. With a majority of Indian employees expecting to retire at around 60, despite a high savings rate, a large number are not confident of being able to afford a long spell of retirement.

Employee preference mismatch
When given a choice between a better retirement provision and larger base pay, employees have begun opting for generous and guaranteed retirement benefit. However, when given an independent choice between the various components of rewards, Indian employees prefer a larger base pay hike across all age groups. This contradiction signals a visible need for employers to enhance retirement education and help employees understand the value of retirement benefits.

Commenting on the growing importance of the retirement benefits, Anuradha Sriram, director, benefits, Towers Watson, India said, ''Traditionally, retirement planning has never been an important financial priority owing to the Indian family structure and elders dependence on their children. However, the breakdown of traditional support systems, increased longevity, rising inflation and rapid urbanization now require a large proportion of the current working population to build their own retirement corpus.''

''It is important that employers educate their employees on the need and value of retirement planning and provide them adequate tools to help them to save adequately and manage their financial risks better. As the war for talent intensifies, retirement benefits have emerged as a powerful tool to boost employee retention and given its growing importance, progressive employers will re-examine the total rewards mix and leverage such benefits as a differentiator. '' she further added.

About the Survey
Towers Watson's Global Benefits Attitudes Survey examines employees' attitudes toward their health and retirement benefits. Conducted in 12 countries, the survey was conducted among 22,347 employees working in large non-governmental organizations, including 2,006 employees in India, of whom 1,669 are members of a retirement savings plan.