Union workers more likely than nonunion workers to have retirement benefits in 2019

Ninety-four percent of civilian union workers and 67 percent of nonunion workers had access to retirement benefits through their employer in March 2019. Access means the benefit is available to employees, regardless of whether they chose to participate. Eighty-five percent of union workers and 51 percent of nonunion workers participated in an employer-sponsored retirement benefit plan. The take-up rate—the share of workers with access who participate in the plan—was 90 percent for union workers and 77 percent for nonunion workers.

Defined benefit retirement plans, also called pensions, provide workers with guaranteed retirement benefits. These plans may determine benefits through a formula based on age, length of service, and preretirement earnings of participants. Defined benefit plans are available to 79 percent of union workers and 17 percent of nonunion workers.

Defined contribution retirement plans specify the level of employer contributions and place those contributions into individual employee accounts. Forty-seven percent of union workers and 62 percent of nonunion workers had access to an employer-sponsored defined contribution plan in March 2019.

These data are from the National Compensation Survey — Benefits program. For more information, see Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2019.