Global Retirement Survey

The New Social Contract: Age-Friendly Employers | Global Retirement Readiness Survey 2020


The annual Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey, now in its 10th year, is one of the largest global retirement surveys. It is conducted by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in collaboration with Aegon and Instituto de Longevidade MAG. The research finds that retirement readiness varies across the 15 participating countries in the survey, and that more needs to be done to help people of all countries become prepared for retirement. Beginning in 2018, the reports set forth a New Social Contract for retirement that includes elements ranging from sustainable social security benefits, financial literacy, and flexible retirement, to an age-friendly world.

The New Social Contract: Future-Proofing Retirement (2021) highlights the urgency for modernizing retirement systems as the global economy begins to rebuild from the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The New Social Contract: Young adults reinventing life, work, and retirement (2021) examines the perspectives, priorities, and preparations of workers in their 20s, as they reinvent their path to a financially secure retirement. 

The New Social Contract: Age-Friendly Employers (2020) explores the vital role of employers in cultivating age-friendly workplaces and promoting retirement security, a role that has become even more crucial amid COVID-19. 

The New Social Contract: Achieving Retirement Equality for Women (2020) highlights the gravity of women's low retirement readiness across 15 countries and outlines five fundamentals for empowering women to improve their retirement outlook.


The New Social Contract: Future-Proofing Retirement

Retirement systems around the world have long been grappling with the sustainability of Social Security and other government benefits due to population aging. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and exposed weakness in retirement systems, while also revealing opportunities for improving them and intensifying the imperative for change. 

"The New Social Contract: Future Proofing Retirement" explores the impacts of the pandemic on workers and retirees, outlines how individuals can enhance their retirement security, examines the roles of government and employers, and provides detailed recommendations. 

The New Social Contract for Retirement - Young adults reinventing life, work, and retirement

Even prior to the pandemic, young adults faced an upward hurdle in achieving a financially secure retirement. Now, with increasing strain on social security systems globally and the economic effects of the pandemic intensifying, young adult workers are expected to self-fund a great proportion of their retirement income than generations before them. With unprecedented challenges ahead, young adults are reinventing their path to retirement.

"The New Social Contract: Young adults reinventing life, work, and retirement" report examines the perspectives, priorities, and preparations of workers in their twenties, a cohort straddling Millennials and Generation Z. The report is based on the 9th Annual Global Retirement Readiness Survey, which spans 15 countries and was conducted in early 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.  


The New Social Contract for Retirement - Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2020

As the world enters a new decade, the COVID-19 pandemic is illuminating weaknesses in already fragile retirement systems. It has also emphasized the crucial role of employers in helping workers prepare financially for retirement. Now, more than ever before, a new social contract for retirement is urgently needed. “The New Social Contract: Age-Friendly Employers,” based on the 9th Annual Global Retirement Readiness Survey, explores the evolving nature of the employer-employee relationship and examines the vital role employers play in helping their employees achieve a financially secure retirement.


The New Social Contract for Retirement - Achieving Retirement Equality for Women

Women's workforce participation and access to career opportunities have soared in recent decades. Despite the significant progress, women's retirement insecurity is a global concern. The persistent gender pay gap and time out of the workforce for parenting and caregiving make it difficult for women to accumulate sufficient savings during their career to achieve a financially secure retirement. 

"The New Social Contract: Achieving Retirement Equality for Women" report highlights the gravity of these challenges and outlines five fundamentals for empowering women to improve their retirement outlook and recommendations for employers and governments globally to adopt a new social contract that reduces the gender retirement gap -- and ultimately, achieves a more equal future retirement landscape for all. The final section of this report provides snapshots of key findings between women and men across the 15 countries surveyed. 

The New Social Contract for Retirement - Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2019

Part of the 8th annual Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey, this 2019 global retirement research calls for a collective action for the modernization of retirement systems around the world in 15 countries. The new social contract presents a more holistic model to retirement planning that encourages empowering individuals toward good health and financial security. It contains country comparisons, detailed recommendations, and case studies on topics related to age-friendly communities, choice architecture, mental well-being, and healthy aging. 


The Unique Retirement Challenges of Workers in Physically Demanding Jobs

As part of the 2018 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey, this report examines the retirement readiness of people who in physically demanding jobs. Due to the strenuous nature of their work, these workers are at risk of aging out of their occupation before they are financially or mentally ready for retirement. The report offers recommendations to help this unique segment of the workforce.

The New Social Contract for Retirement - Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2018

This research, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is part of the 2018 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey. This study examines the crumbling social contract amidst megatrends and ultimately, makes a call-to-action for the modernization of retirement systems around the world in 15 countries. It contains in-depth analysis, country comparisons, detailed recommendations, and case studies on topics related to the sustainability of Brazil's retirement system, global financial literacy, workplace wellness programs, and the business of aging. 

LGBT: Retirement Preparations Amid Social Progress

This research, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is our first international survey on retirement aspirations and planning among the LGBT community. Findings show that all people, irrespective of their sexuality or gender identity, want to pursue the retirement dreams of more leisure, freedom and a sense of enjoyment. But the road traveled by LGBT people to reach that destination is often quite different from that taken by heterosexuals. The report is based on findings from a survey of 900 LGBT workers and retirees in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

Successful Retirement - Healthy Aging and Financial Security - Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2017

This research, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is part of the 2017 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey. The study examines the connection between healthy aging and financial security in retirement. It also tracks retirement readiness annually since 2012 among workers in 15 countries around the world.

Retirement Preparations in a New Age of Self-Employment

This research, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is part of the 2016 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey. The study examines self-employed workers in 15 countries and their retirement preparations, expectations - and all too often - their shortcomings in savings. The report also offers recommendations for this unique group of workers.

A Retirement Wake-Up Call: The Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2016

The fifth annual Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey presents a five-year trend analysis based on the survey’s original nine countries in 2012 and present-day findings from 2016 based on 15 countries spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Since the survey’s 2012 inception, 70,000 workers and retirees have shared their preparations and perspectives regarding retirement.

Central to the findings in this report is the lack of progress in retirement readiness across the globe. The report evaluates the current state of retirement readiness and explores key areas warranting focus and attention, including the need for: sharing the responsibility for retirement preparation, inspiring a world of habitual savers, making retirement plans more inclusive by design, facilitating the new flexible retirement, and promoting active living and healthy aging in retirement.
 

The New Flexible Retirement

The New Flexible Retirement offers perspectives on the retirement outlook of 16,000 workers and retirees in the U.S. and 14 other countries around the world. This report, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is part of the 2015 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey.

The study identifies workers’ vision of retirement as "The New Flexible Retirement." This vision represents an important opportunity for workers to work longer, continue earning income, stay active and involved, and fully retire at an older age – while freeing up time for family, friends, and enjoyment. Their vision of retirement can also create a win-win situation by serving as a powerful tool to help solve the government, social security, and employer-related issues resulting from population aging.

Homemakers Are Not Off the Hook: How Should They Be Planning for Retirement?

Homemakers Are Not Off the Hook: How Should They Be Planning for Retirement? offers perspectives on the retirement outlook of 1,600 self-described homemakers in the U.S. and 14 other countries around the world. 

This research, conducted in collaboration with the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, is part of the 2015 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey. The purpose of the study is to expose homemakers’ retirement risks, identify challenges and opportunities, and offer recommendations for homemakers and their families, as well as employers, and policymakers.

Inspiring a World of Habitual Savers - Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2015

The fourth annual Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey, conducted in collaboration with TCRS, compares the retirement outlook and preparations of 16,000 workers and retirees in 15 countries spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia.

Preparedness, as measured by the Aegon Retirement Readiness Index, is up slightly from 2014. However, many workers around the world achieve a low score on the Index. The study found that those who save for retirement habitually are the most prepared and have higher levels of retirement confidence. The findings create a call to action to make habitual savings a global trend, recognizing that it should be a shared responsibility among individuals, employers, and policymakers. 

In 2015, 14,400 workers and 1,600 retirees were surveyed in 15 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents were interviewed in their local languages using an online panel survey in February 2015.

The Changing Face of Retirement -- Women: Balancing Family, Career & Financial Security (2014)

This report examines the retirement preparedness of women in the workforce in the U.S. and around the world. The research finds that today's women are better educated and enjoy career opportunities beyond previous generations of women. However, the results also show that a woman’s path to a financially secure retirement is challenging. The report offers recommendations for individuals, employers and policymakers to aid women in their long-term retirement preparedness.

The Changing Face of Retirement -- Women: Balancing Family, Career and Financial Security

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The Changing Face of Retirement -- The Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey (2014)

The research examines retirement readiness in 15 countries, as measured by the Aegon Retirement Readiness Index. The study offers insights on how workers around the world can improve their retirement outlook, including simplifying the savings process by participating in automatic enrollment, creating a solid retirement savings strategy and formulating a financial backup plan in case they are unable to work. In 2014, 14,400 workers and 1,600 retirees were surveyed in 15 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents were interviewed in their local languages using an online panel survey in January and February 2014. 

The Changing Face of Retirement - The Young, Pragmatic and Penniless Generation (2013)

The Changing Face of Retirement: The Young, Pragmatic and Penniless Generation sets forth some of the key challenges facing young adults as they seek to balance their immediate financial pressures with the goal of planning for retirement. The survey was based on 10,800 employees in 12 countries worldwide, and included 2,722 employees between the ages of 20 and 29. With over half of young people today expecting to be worse off in retirement compared to their parents’ generation, the current generation of people in their twenties find themselves faced with particular challenges in saving for later life.

The Changing Face of Retirement - The Young, Pragmatic and Penniless Generation


The Changing Face of Retirement — the Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey (2013)

The research examines retirement readiness, as measured by the Aegon Retirement Readiness Index, and identifies ways to help workers take on personal responsibility. In 2013, 10,800 workers and 1,200 retirees were surveyed in 12 countries: Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents were interviewed in their local languages using an online panel survey in January and February 2013. The range of issues covered include attitudes towards retirement readiness, the role of the government and employers in providing retirement benefits, and the impact of the financial crisis on attitudes regarding investment risk and retirement planning.

The Changing Face of Retirement — The Workplace Perspective (2012)

The Workplace Perspective sets out a range of detailed findings from the research and examines what factors shape the kind of retirement plans employers make available, and to what extent their employees value them when considered alongside other workplace benefits such as salary, time off, medical and life insurance. The study was conducted among 8,100 employees in 9 countries and 12 major international employers. The context for this report has been guided by well-established global trends which have placed strains on the retirement systems around the world.

The Changing Face of Retirement - The Workplace Perspective - Reports


The Changing Face of Retirement — Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey (2012)

This first Retirement Readiness Survey conducted by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies and Aegon aims to better understand prevailing attitudes about retirement planning and personal expectations among the current working generation within eight European countries, as well as the United States and Japan. The research also seeks to contribute to a common understanding of the changing face of retirement and the measures necessary to accommodate demographic and socio-economic trends.