Are Pension Reforms Helping States Attract and Retain the Best Workers?

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Are Pension Reforms Helping States Attract and Retain the Best Workers?

Richard W. Johnson, C. Eugene Steuerle, Caleb Quakenbush

Published: July 16, 2012

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Recent budget pressures have led many states to cut future pension benefits for state workers. Using New Jersey as a case study, this report describes how these reforms ignore larger employee recruitment and retention issues for today's more mobile workforce. State retirement plans generally do not attract younger workers, lock in middle-aged workers even if a job is not a good fit, and push older workers into retirement. Recent reforms also shift pension financing burdens to the young, largely sparing taxpayers and current older workers and retirees.