Your 401(k) match may not be as generous as it used to be
Key takeaways
- For more than 8 in 10 employers, retirement benefits are "extremely" or "very important" for attracting and retaining workers, according to a new report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
- At the same time, however, employer 401(k) matches are shrinking.
- "Employers are evolving their benefits strategies to meet new workforce realities," Ragan Decker, director of commercial research at SHRM, told Yahoo Finance.
Your 401(k) match may not be as generous as it used to be Kerry Hannon · Senior Columnist Tue, June 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM GMT+7 3 min read Employers are acutely aware of the value of helping employees save for retirement, but their recent actions are at odds with that sentiment.
For more than 8 in 10 employers, retirement benefits are "extremely" or "very important" for attracting and retaining workers, according to a new report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
At the same time, however, employer 401(k) matches are shrinking. Fewer employers offer matches for their 401(k) plans this year (81%) compared with 2025 (85%). And the average maximum employer match for traditional 401(k) plans is 6.11%, down from last year s average of 6.3%.