Nearly half of HR professionals lack insight into pension transition

Nearly half of HR professionals (47.6 percent) do not know how far their organization has progressed with the transition to the new pension system. This is according to research done by asset manager Vive among 103 HR professionals at organizations with a pension scheme. Many organizations are not yet ready for the new system, in which every employee gets their own pension pot and clear communication becomes increasingly important. There is still time to get this in order before the end of the transition period on January 1, 2028.
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Employees turn to HR, but decisions are made elsewhere

This lack of insight is most common in organizations with a pension fund. In that group, 39 out of 75 respondents do not know if the new scheme has already been submitted to the fund. Pension agreements at these organizations are usually made by employer organizations and unions in the collective labor agreement (CLA), after which the fund implements the scheme. "It is not strange that HR does not know exactly how far along the transition is. The choices are often made outside of their own organization," says Alexander Brouwer, founder of Vive. "But employees are increasingly coming to HR with their questions. Will I be worse off later? What choices do I have to make? If HR cannot provide answers, people are left with uncertainty."

Employers and providers in the driver's seat

For organizations with an insurer or premium pension institution (PPI), the responsibility lies elsewhere: the employer makes the choices themselves. Of the 28 HR staff in that group, no one reports that the new scheme is finalized.

Fourteen of them indicate that the scheme is not yet ready, ten do not know, and four have a draft. Consequently, their employees do not yet know what the transition means for them.
This also applies to their partners. Survivor's pension, the benefit for a partner if an employee passes away, is handled differently in the new system. Yet, it is often a blind spot: only one in eight respondents at an insurer or PPI
says their organization has calculated the consequences and mapped out the communication risks. The rest have not yet done so, have only done so partially, or do not know. For these employers, there is also an earlier milestone. If the scheme is being adjusted, the transition plan must be submitted to the pension provider by October 1, 2027, at the latest.

One in five does not know who to coordinate the scheme with
Before a new scheme can be implemented, it often needs to be coordinated first. One in five respondents (20.4 percent) does not know with whom. Depending on the scheme and the CLA, this could be the works council, the unions, the employee representation, or the employees themselves. Without their consent, the scheme usually cannot proceed.
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Transition also offers room for individual choices

The fact that many schemes are not yet finished also means that employers can still shape them differently. Vive sees employers using the transition to give employees more control over their pensions. For example, regarding how much risk they want
to run, whether to make extra contributions if their situation allows, and whether they are saving for other goals alongside their pension. "For a long time, pension schemes were the same for everyone, even though people's lives vary enormously," says Brouwer. "A 25-year-old just starting out has different needs than a 55-year-old with a mortgage and a partner. Employers who create room for this now see their employees becoming more engaged with their pensions. It’s no longer something that is just arranged for them, but something they actively think about themselves." More choice requires more guidance. If you let employees choose, you must also ensure they understand what those choices mean.
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A more personal pension requires clear explanation

Employee pensions are becoming more personal, and a large part of the responsibility for explaining this falls to the employer. "Soon, people will have more to think about in addition to their own pension pot," says Brouwer. "That works best when they understand what
is happening with their pension. We see employers handling this explanation in very different ways. Some record a webinar or organize presentation days for different groups of employees, while others stick to a pension booklet and a
letter." Regardless of the format an employer chooses, HR must first have a clear overview themselves. For the details of the scheme, the pension fund, insurer, or advisor is the point of contact. Not everything needs to be finalized yet. Brouwer notes that it
already gives employees peace of mind to know when they will receive clarity. It was those employees that Vive focused on during the survey. "We believe everyone should eventually have a pension that fits their situation," says Brouwer. "But then employees need to know what is changing, and HR must be able to explain it. That’s why we wanted to know if that is already succeeding."

About the survey

Because employees will soon have a more personal pension, Vive wanted to know how the transition is progressing within organizations. Vive collected responses between July 9 and September 14, 2026, via an online questionnaire distributed through HR channels. The figures are based on 103 HR professionals working at an organization with a pension scheme. Participation was voluntary; the results are not representative of all
employers in the Netherlands.
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About Vive

Vive is an asset manager that brings pensions and wealth together in one app. Through Vive, employers can offer an employer annuity: a pension scheme in which employees build up a pension for later with tax advantages and can also invest for other goals. For employers who already have a pension scheme, Vive works as a flexible supplement. Vive is supervised by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB).