November 2025
24Nov

Ireland. Here’s how financial literacy affects the money in your pocket

As with many western nations, Ireland faces an increasingly aging population. To combat future stress on Ireland's state pension, the Government established a pension auto enrolment scheme in 2024 to assist low-income workers plan for their retirement. But this scheme masked a deeper problem with Ireland’s financial education. A recent Department of Finance report highlighted Ireland’s shortcomings in financial education, with approximately 43% of adults failing to meet the minimum OECD level of financial literacy. In response, plans are underway...

November 24, 2025
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05Nov

Ireland risks major fiscal challenge from ageing population, finance ministry says

Ireland's national debt could more than double to 148% of gross national income by 2065 and the budget deficit could hit 7.9% without reforms over the next decade to soften the impact of an ageing population, the finance ministry warned on Tuesday. Ireland's old age dependency ratio - those aged over 65 per 100 working-age people - is set to jump to 55.2% by 2065 from 23% in 2022, straining public finances, stagnating the labour force and suppressing economic growth,...

November 5, 2025
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May 2024
08May

Introduction of Auto-Enrolment in Ireland, is set to be the biggest development in pensions in a generation

The much-heralded introduction of Auto-Enrolment in Ireland, is set to be the biggest development in pensions in a generation. Targeted directly at increasing the proportion of private sector workers with pension savings, Ireland will be following in the footsteps of several other countries including Australia, New Zealand and the UK, where the auto-enrolment model is already well established. In fact, Ireland is the last OECD country to introduce Auto-Enrolment (AE). By adopting a proven blueprint, it is reasonable to anticipate...

May 8, 2024
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February 2024
27Feb

Ireland. The Two Main Reasons People Don’t Have A Pension

More than two-thirds of workers have some form of pension coverage outside of the State pension, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said. Of the 68% of workers aged 20-69 with additional pension coverage, 70% have an occupational pension, 10% have a personal pension and 20% have both, including 22% of men and 19% of women. For employees with occupational pensions from their current employment, the number with 'defined benefit' pensions decreased in 2023 from 32% to 30% while the number with 'defined...

February 27, 2024
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June 2023
07Jun

The Irish pension landscape for employers in 2023

Pension provision for staff is a valuable recruitment and retention tool for employers. Pensions can be a core part of a benefits and reward package offered. When there are labour or skills shortage affecting your hiring capabilities, this can be a meaningful part of your offering to ensure you are competing with top employers for talent. IORP II The IORP II Directive “sets common standards by ensuring the soundness of occupational pensions and better protecting pension scheme members and their beneficiaries.” Employers...

June 7, 2023
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February 2023
24Feb

Ireland. Majority expect to have to rely on the State pension when they retire

MOST workers expect to have to rely on the State pension when they retire. Some 57pc of workers say the State pension will be their main source of income. The State pension was cited as the expected main source of income on retirement for nearly six in ten workers with no pension coverage, Central Statistics Office research has found. The Government is planning to bring in an auto-enrolment pension scheme to supplement the State pension for thousands of workers who have no...

February 24, 2023
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January 2023
25Jan

Ireland. Employers call for rethink on contributions to mandatory workplace pension

Employers’ group Ibec is calling for changes to planned legislation that will put mandatory workplace pensions in place. Contribution levels to the proposed auto-enrolment pension scheme should be looked at again, with competitiveness and affordability reviews completed before contributions are increased from their entry level, Ibec executive Fergal O’Brien will tell an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday. The scheme foresees employers and workers each putting 1.5 per cent of the employee’s gross salary into the scheme at the outset, with the figure...

January 25, 2023
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19Jan

Ireland. Fears Pensions Gender Gap Will Worsen

Proposals by the Government for an auto-enrolment pension scheme will leave women worse off and "widen the pensions gender gap", an Oireachtas committee will be warned today. The scheme is designed to tackle Ireland's severely low pension coverage rates, with only one in three private sector workers signed up to a retirement savings scheme. Under the proposals, for every €3 saved by a worker, the Government will add another €1 - with employers also matching contributions of up to 6% of...

January 19, 2023
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18Jan

Ireland. Govt urged to introduce pension auto-enrolment ‘as quickly as possible’

The Pensions Authority is expected to tell the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection today that the Government should introduce pension automatic enrolment as quickly as possible. In October, details of the new auto-enrolment scheme were approved ahead of its expected introduction in 2024. Workers aged between 23 and 60 will be automatically signed up to a pension plan co-funded by their employer and the State but they can opt out if they wish to leave. The plan is for employees who are...

January 18, 2023
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06Jan

Pension Fund Statistics – Q3 2022

By Central Bank of Ireland Total assets of the Irish pension fund sector fell by 2.5 per cent (€3 billion) over Q3 2022 to stand at €117 billion. This continues a trend across the year to date with assets down 14.9 percent on the series high of €137 billion at end-2021. Technical reserves relating to pension entitlements of Irish pension funds decreased in Q3 2022. 1 Defined contribution (DC) technical reserves fell as a result of falls in corresponding asset values. Defined benefit...

January 6, 2023
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