Concerns around gig workers' pension savings have continued to grow ahead of Glastonbury Festival, with PensionBee chief business officer UK, Lisa Picardo, warning that many workers making the event happen will earn nothing towards their retirement.

Industry experts have repeatedly raised concerns over gig economy workers' pension savings, with previous research from PensionBee revealing that more than half (57 per cent) of UK 'gig' economy workers can't afford to save into a pension.

In addition to this, concerns over gig economy workers' pension savings have been previously raised by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), as well as the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association.

These concerns have continued to grow, as Picardo pointed out that while Glastonbury Festival will generate millions of pounds of income this week for UK-based businesses, many of the workers making it happen will earn nothing towards their retirement.

"From self-employed traders providing refreshments, to agency staff and stage crew keeping festival goers safe, a huge proportion of the thousands of workers that support the festival fall outside traditional employment," she explained.

“Our research shows nearly 60 per cent of gig workers that aren’t currently engaged with their pension cite affordability as their main barrier.

"They are keeping shows like Glastonbury on the road, yet their hard work won’t be reflected in their retirement lifestyle due to them falling outside of the auto-enrollment safety net.

"It is time to stop treating the growing population of non-traditional earners as second-class citizens in the pension system. Everyone deserves a shot at a decent retirement, no matter how they get paid.”

Concerns over gig economy workers' pension savings have also been previously raised by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), as well as the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, with some industry organisations calling on the government to introduce mechanisms to include gig workers and the self-employed in retirement saving systems to reduce disparities in pension participation.

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