Recent Evidence on Pension Coverage and Sponsorship, by Employer Size and Industry

This article examines pension participation of working household heads using the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). First, the percentage of working household heads that work for an employer who offers a plan and the percentage that actually participate is estimated across employer size and industry. Heads who work for larger employers are found to be more likely to participate in a pension plan, although the percentage participating decreased for the largest employers from 1992 to 1998. In contrast, participation of employees of small employers increased from 1992 to 1998. Secondly, pension plan type - defined benefit and defined contribution - participation is investigated across employer size and industry. A tremendous shift from 1992 to 1998 in heads having only a defined contribution pension plan was found. This result was consistent for employees across all employer sizes and industries. The PDF for the above title, published in the August 2000 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the full text of another August 2000 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "The Economic Costs of the Uninsured."