Retirement savings behaviours and COVID-19: Evidence from Thailand

This paper utilises administrative data from members of the Thai Government Pension Fund to examine voluntary contributions and investment plan change. We find low overall incidence of both behaviours which increased only modestly during the onset of COVID-19. While the major finding is that members are in the minority if they engage in the behaviour regardless of gender, salary, balance, or experience in the fund, the relative probability varies systematically by member characteristics. Policy implications are discussed including the difficulty large plans face when attempting to encourage the savings behaviours in identifiable member groups who may benefit but the costs of doing so are borne by the full membership.