One in four expect to work past 65 thanks to low rates

New research showed that some 23 per cent of workers said their retirement plans have been affected by the Bank of England base rate being held at a record low 0.5 per cent, equating to 7.2 million people if the figures were projected across the UK.

Canada Life Group Insurance found that overall, two-thirds of UK employees now expect to work beyond the traditional retirement age of 65.

Younger workers are particularly likely to expect to work beyond 65, with 85 per cent of those aged 21 to 30 believing they will do so.

This contrasts with those soon to retire, with just 58 per cent of 61 to 65-year-olds saying they are likely to work beyond the traditional retirement age.

According to analysis from Hargreaves Lansdown, very low interest rates mean people with cash savings have lost out on about £160 billion in interest compared with the rates they were receiving in 2008, equating to £6,000 per UK household.

But at the same time, record low mortgage rates have helped home owners to keep their costs down. More than two million first-time buyers have climbed onto the property ladder while borrowing rates have been generally falling or static.

The new state pension was launched on April 6, to help give people reaching pension age on or after that date more certainty over how much cash they are likely to end up with when they retire.

While the new system promises to be more generous to many people who have been self-employed or have taken time out of work to care for family members, its benefits will diminish for future generations.

Meanwhile young “Millennial” adults are saving larger chunks of their cash than the generation above them, a survey has found.

Those in the 18 to 35 Millennial age group are also more likely to have thrifty habits when buying everyday goods such as a coffee or a pint of beer than the Generation X age group of 36 to 54-year-olds, the research from peer-to-peer lender Zopa suggests.

But the survey also found that with financial hurdles such as student loans, costly renting and the struggle to get on the housing ladder, many Millennials also see debt as a normal part of their life.