Two thirds of social workers expect to work beyond retirement age, new research shows.

It appears those employed as a qualified social worker also expect their pension contributions to increase, Community Care reports. The results of the pay and conditions survey which was carried out jointly with Unison found that three-quarters of its members value their pension highly.

The popularity of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) was also highlighted as four in five of the 769 professional survey participants were LGPS members. Of them, 82 per cent said they expected to increase their contributions with only a quarter considering or taking into account a private pension.

Unison's national officer for social care, Helga Pile said the survey results indicated why the union had prioritised the fight to retain current pension provision.

"It's no surprise to find that people place a very high value on their pensions... People in social work and social care don't earn very competitive salaries and having that pension provision is a crucial part of their package," she said.

Last month Unison, alongside Unite and GMB issued a submission to Lord Hutton's Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, in which it claimed that an increase to employee contributions would cause many members to withdraw from the scheme. Hutton is expected to produce a final report in March, but his interim report supported the raising of contributions temporarily.