Workers as young as 18 may soon become eligible to save into a workplace pension scheme – piling on the pressure for employers to meet the necessary financial and regulatory demands of automatic enrolment.

The Government recommended that age restrictions governing automatic enrolment should be scrapped, allowing teenagers to start saving for retirement.

The most recent figures show that now more than nine million people are enrolled into a workplace pension scheme. Currently, any worker over the age of 22 and is earning more than £10,000 a year must be automatically enrolled – but they can choose to opt out if they choose to do so.

The suggested amendment to the rules could mean an additional 900,000 people will be enrolled, costing employers on average £276 per year per employee in contributions, plus any extra support and regulatory costs.

David Gauke, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “We are committed to enabling more people to save while they are working, so that they can enjoy greater financial security when they retire.

“We know the world of work is changing, so it is only right that pension saving does too. This ambitious package will see more people than ever before helped onto the path towards building a secure retirement.”

The changes are estimated to come into effect from 2020.