Self-employed workers are more than twice as likely as employed workers to believe they will never retire, according to research from the Get Britain Pension Ready campaign.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that 22 per cent of self-employed workers believed they would never be able to retire, compared to 9 per cent of employed workers.

With the House of Commons reporting that there were 4.39 million self-employed workers in the UK between September and November 2025, this suggested that close to one million self-employed people may not see retirement as a realistic prospect.

The research also revealed a stark divide in saving behaviour.

Half (50 per cent) of self-employed workers said they made no monthly contributions to a pension or retirement savings, compared to 9 per cent of employed workers and a national average of 27 per cent.

In contrast, 61 per cent of employed workers reported maintaining regular monthly pension contributions, more than three times the proportion of self-employed workers (20 per cent).

Among self-employed respondents who were not making regular contributions, 43 per cent cited the rising cost of living as a key barrier, while 34 per cent pointed to fluctuations in monthly income.

The findings also highlighted a significant access-to-information gap.

While 44 per cent of employed workers agreed that enough pension information specific to their employment status existed and was readily available, just 28 per cent of self-employed workers felt the same.

This disparity was reflected in retirement planning: 52 per cent of employed individuals reported planning for financial security in retirement, compared with 31 per cent of self-employed workers.

Annuity Ready CEO, Sarah Lloyd, said self-employed workers faced a “double disadvantage”.

“Not only do they miss out on employer contributions - which is effectively free money that compounds over decades - but they’re also navigating retirement planning with far less information and support tailored to their circumstances,” she noted.

Lloyd added that the irregular income many self-employed people experience makes consistent saving challenging but, without the safety net of employer contributions, it’s even more critical that they find ways to build retirement savings when they can.

“This is a growing group of British workers that make up nearly 15 per cent of our workforce, it’s important we’re giving them the information and support they need to plan for retirement,” she stressed.

"Your type of employment should not be a barrier to that."

In addition, the research also found that 75 per cent of employed respondents had a workplace pension, compared to just 24 per cent of self-employed workers.

Among those who had previously opted out of a workplace pension but later opted back in, employer contributions were the leading motivator (35 per cent), underscoring the perceived value of matched contributions, which are not available to most self-employed workers.

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