Coming Up Short: The Scope of Retirement Insecurity Among Illinois Workers

The purposes of this report are to identify the principal sources of retirement income, examine the extent and types of workers facing retirement insecurity, and explore the necessary components of a state-level public policy solution that could help to address the problem. Using employment data by industry and estimated retirement plan sponsorship rates, this report shows how many workers in Illinois, especially those in industries with traditionally low-wage workers, lack access to one of the mainstays of retirement income: a tax-deferred, employment-based retirement savings plan. The report concludes with a discussion of the essential components of a state policy that would expand access to tax-deferred, employment-based retirement savings plans.