''Pensions most important employee benefit''

Staff value pensions as their most important employee benefit on top of a salary that an employer offers, a new study has found.

However, one-third of workers (38 per cent) still worry that their own pension funds may be inadequate during their retirement, the survey carried out by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) revealed.

The figures suggest that the total reward statement offered by employers is deemed more important than simply the basic salary, yet still one-quarter of people (26 per cent) said they would like a guarantee that their pension income would not run out before they died.

Nigel Peaple, NAPF director of policy, said: "It is clear that people greatly value pensions. More than three-quarters value an employer more if they offer a workplace pension."

A recent report from the Prudential showed that the gap between men and women''s pension incomes is continuing to grow, with men receiving nearly two-thirds more than their female equivalents upon retirement. Back