The steady shift in the U.S. from defined benefit plans over to defined contribution continues, as employers move away from guaranteed long term pensions and place more power in the hands of their employees in terms of their financial future in retirement.
Not all employees, however, are ready or actively willing to take their retirement investment and long term plans by the horns and maximize their savings. Consequently, the US is seeing an increasing trend of auto-enrollment programs designed to "hold the hands" of those less willing to take active steps so that more employees are encouraged to make the right choice in taking advantage of 401K plans offered by employers.
It's really common sense in the new retirement paradigm, especially when examining the younger side of the workforce. Odds are that fresh out of college employees and others that are early in their working life are not putting too much thought into life 30-40 years down the road. Most are happy to be employed and to afford the rent. Planning for retirement comes later in their minds, though employers are saying that it shouldn't.
