The recession will delay retirement by an average of six years for 40 per cent of workers in the UK, according to Aon Consulting.

The statistic comes from the actuarial and consultancy firm's latest Employee Omnibus Survey, which has also revealed that 64 per cent of employees signed up to defined contribution (DC) pension schemes are intending to postpone their retirement following the global economic downturn.

Aon's monthly DC Pension Tracker now estimates that the combined value of the UK's DC pension savings has fallen by 12 per cent since the early part of the Credit Crunch in September 2007.

Following the release of the survey, Richard Strachan, a senior consultant at Aon Consulting, said that there needs to be a serious debate over the value of elderly workers and a "shift in thinking" surrounding stopping work at a pre-conceived age.

"Already governments around the world are shifting the retirement age to later in life to reflect increasing levels of longevity," he said, "but employers need to match this with a positive attitude to workers older than the current retirement age.

"Although we have witnessed heightened levels of optimism in recent months, these findings highlight the real impact that the economic downturn is having on Britain's workforce not simply today, but the knock on effects it will have in the years to come.

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