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by departure 2342 days ago
Less than 13% of US private sector workers participate in pensions plans[0].

[0]https://www.pensionrights.org/publications/statistic/how-man...

3 comments

You're not including the defined contribution retirement plans, which are a vehicle for investment.

N.B. I believe 'pension' ≡ 'defined benefit' is an American English thing, which may the source of the confusion. I, my employer, and my provider refer to my private, defined-contribution plan as a pension.

Correct, we do have legal US definitions which makes pensions different than DC Plans.
Nearly 22 million people work for the state, federal, and local governments, nearly 20% of the active workforce.

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/999001.htm

Okay so adding those numbers with the private sector ones you still get that the vast majority of American's aren't benefiting.
You’re also forgetting all the people without pensions, but with IRAs and/or 401ks. And then the many more with brokerage accounts. And young people seem to have jumped headlong into Robinhood.
I don't know if I'd characterize 66% of Americans (100% - (public + private)) the "vast majority"...
However less than 2.3% of hourly workers (not total workers, but hourly workers) make minimum wage, yet those that claim a good stock market doesn’t benefit most people would argue fiercely over minimum wage which affects only a tiny fraction of workers. So we should be applauding something that benefits “only” 13% of the workforce (though that 13% number with pensions is misleadingly low as pointed out by other comments.)