Number: RL30122
Title: Pension Sponsorship and Participation: Summary of Recent Trends
Authors: Patrick Purcell, Domestic Social Policy Division 
Abstract: The aging of the American population has made retirement income an issue of increasing concern to the Congress and the public. Although Americans are living longer than ever before, most retire before age 65. Moreover, while the nation's population continues to grow, the decline in birth rates that followed the post-World War II "baby boom" and the continued lengthening of life spans will result in fewer workers relative to the number of retirees. These trends will affect the economic well-being of future retirees because pensions and Social Security benefits will be paid over longer periods of time; savings will have to be stretched over longer retirements; and Social Security benefits will have to be financed by a working population that is shrinking relative to the number of retirees.
Pages: 17
Date: September 8, 2008