IPSE reacts to new Pensions Commission’s focus on the self-employed

The UK’s self-employed association has welcomed the Government’s decision to revive the Pensions Commission, describing it as a landmark move to address the growing retirement savings gap among the self-employed. Crucially, the new Commission will explicitly examine why this group remains particularly vulnerable when it comes to saving for later life – a long-standing concern for the sector.

The original 2006 Commission laid the groundwork for Automatic Enrolment, a reform that transformed how employees save into pensions. Now, with the self-employed still largely excluded from such frameworks, this renewed focus signals a promising shift in attention from Government.

Fred Hicks, Senior Policy Adviser at IPSE – The Self-Employed Association – said:

“This is a landmark moment in the long-neglected question of how to boost self-employed pension pots and improve their outcomes in retirement.

“It’s hugely encouraging that government is putting this issue under the spotlight with the new Pensions Commission, which has a clear intent to focus on those who have so far been left behind.

“It feels like long-overdue recognition that a bigger self-employed is not a short-term trend, but a permanent and important feature of our economy – and that we now need to design a pensions system that truly works for them.”

ENDS