| Contributions have risen from £ 5.3bn to £ 6bn in a year Employers ' contributions to pension schemes have risen by 25 % during the past two years , according to research published on Monday . PENSIONS IN CRISIS 75 % of final salary schemes will close within five years ( Hermes ) Only a fifth of people under 34 are concerned about their future retirement ( Mercer ) People from ethnic minorities are at higher risk of pensioner poverty ( Pensions Minister ) Get more from BBC News Online 's pensions website And in the past year they increased to £ 6bn from £ 5.3bn , the survey of 339 schemes suggested . Incomes Data Services said its study showed the " vast scale " of company money flowing into pension schemes . However , IDS says the rise is nothing to do with generosity on the part of the companies concerned . Instead , it reflects the way many companies took £ 18bn in " pension holidays " during the 1990s boom , using the rising price of investments to justify halting their contributions or even taking money out of their funds . More than a quarter of the total payout in the 24 months under review was for " special contributions " , to make up for shortfalls and to cover early retirement and other contingencies . Those " special contributions " account for more than the total rise in overall contributions . Radical action The survey also highlights the fact that one out of every 10 schemes receive no employer contributions at all . Pensions have become a major concern of trade unions following the closure of many schemes that guaranteed employees a fixed proportion of their final salaries on retirement . And Britain 's biggest manufacturing union , Amicus , is holding a conference in March to press for better schemes . Joint general secretary Derek Simpson said : " Employers have a moral obligation , as do employees , to make provision for retirement income . Pensions minister Andrew Smith has said the government will consider " radical and concerted action " to shore up final salary pension schemes . But Mr Simpson said : " The government must legislate to make this happen . " The consequences of not doing so will be disastrous for individuals and the economy . " |