We deliver high quality retirement research that contributes to informed policymaking by fostering a deep understanding of the value of retirement security to employees, employers and the economy.
Debunking the Job-Hopping Myth: A Data-Driven Look at Tenure and Turnover Among Younger Workers
Contrary to popular belief that Millennials and Generation Z employees are constantly switching jobs, new research from the National Institute on Retirement Security finds that younger workers today show job retention patterns that closely mirror previous generations at the same stage of their careers.
Views of Retirement in America by Political Party Affiliation
Despite deep polarization across the U.S., a research brief from the National Institute on Retirement Security finds common ground when it comes to Americans’ support for Social Security and defined benefit pension plans. At the same time, Views of Retirement in America by Political Party Affiliation finds Americans across party lines are worried about retirement. […]
Social Security has evolved to become backbone of the U.S. retirement savings system, particularly for middle-class Americans, and often is referred to as one of the nation’s most popular government programs. Nearly all workers participate in Social Security, which means nearly all retirees receive at least some income from Social Security each month. Despite the […]
Americans’ Views of State-Facilitated Retirement Programs
A national survey of working-age Americans finds strong support for new state-facilitated retirement programs that are focused on helping workers without employer-provided plans save for retirement. More than three-fourths of Americans (77 percent) agree that state-facilitated retirement programs are a good idea. And at a time when the nation faces deep political division on a […]
Policy Ideas for Boosting Defined Benefit Pensions In The Private Sector
In response to a request for information issued by the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the National Institute on Retirement Security has submitted a research issue brief with policy ideas to help expand defined benefit (DB) pension coverage for private-sector employees. The research brief, Policy Ideas for Boosting Defined Benefit Pensions […]
As part of the 2023 revisions to ASOP 4, the Actuarial Standards Board will require a new disclosure, LDROM, that will affect future actuarial valuations. NASRA, NCPERS, NCTR, and NIRS formed a workgroup to develop the ASOP 4 Toolkit: Measuring Pension Obligations and LDROM to help pension funds communicate the new requirements of ASOP 4, […]
A Vanishing Benefit: Why Social Security’s Special Minimum Benefit is Fading Away
This research provides an overview of the special minimum benefit, an alternative Social Security formula that was initially passed by Congress in 1972 to set a benefit “floor” and protect workers from experiencing severe poverty in retirement. To be eligible, workers must have a record of 11 years or more of covered employment and must […]
Americans’ Views of State-Facilitated Retirement Programs
A national survey finds strong support for new state-facilitated retirement programs aimed at helping workers without employer-provided plans save for retirement. Americans’ Views of State-Facilitated Retirement Programs finds: The vast majority of Americans (72 percent) agree that state-facilitated retirement programs are a good idea. There is high support across party and generational lines, with support […]
A national survey finds that Millennials and Generation X are more worried about retirement as compared to older generations. Sixty-four percent of Millennials and 54 percent of Generation X are more concerned about their retirement security in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The level of concern is at 42 percent for Baby Boomers and […]
Americans’ Views of State & Local Employee Retirement Plans
A new national survey finds that more than three-fourths of Americans agree that all workers, not just those working for state and local government, should have a pension. And even though the nation is deeply divided on many other issues, support for pensions is consistent across party lines. Eighty percent of Democrats, 75 percent of […]
Millennial State & Local Government Employee Views on Their Jobs, Compensation & Retirement
A new issue brief finds that Millennials working in state and local government are satisfied with their jobs and intend to stay with their employers so long as their benefits are not cut. Millennial State & Local Government Employee Views on Their Jobs, Compensation & Retirement provides a deeper analysis of NIRS’ November 2019 opinion […]
Financial Asset Inequality and Its Implications for Retirement Security
A new research brief finds that financial asset inequality among Americans continues to increase, and the inequality is consistent across generations. This wealth inequality, combined with dangerously low retirement savings among most households, poses a significant threat to retirement for working Americans. The new analysis indicates that from 2004 to 2016, the share of financial […]
Enduring Challenges: Examining the Experiences of States that Closed Pension Plans
A series of case studies finds that states that shifted new employees from defined benefit pensions to defined contribution or cash balance plans experienced increased costs for taxpayers, without major improvements in funding. The research also indicates that the move away from pensions cuts employees’ retirement security and that employers may face increasing challenges […]
The United Kingdom’s New Retirement Savings Program
A new paper examines the U.K.’s implementation of a bold, new retirement savings program requiring auto enrollment in retirement accounts and employer contributions.
Retirement Reform Lessons: The Experience of Palm Beach Public Safety Pensions
A new case study examines the impacts of the actions of the Town of Palm Beach when substantial changes were made to the retirement plans offered to the town’s employees. The case study details the 2012 decision by the Palm Beach Town Council to close its existing defined benefit (DB) pension systems for its employees, […]
