Four out of every 10 UK workers say they will have to work six years longer than they had originally planned to retire because of the recession.

According to Aon Consulting's survey of 4,046 employees, 64% of workers think the recession will delay their retirement plans, with one in five (19%) believing they will have to work a further six to nine years.

Since September 2007, Aon Consulting reports the combined value of the UK's defined contribution (DC) pension savings has fallen by 12%.  

Richard Strachan, senior consultant at Aon Consulting, said: "There has to be a real discussion in this country about the value older workers bring to the economy, and a shift in the thinking that we have to retire at a certain pre-conceived age. Already governments around the world are shifting the retirement age to later in life to reflect increasing levels of longevity, but employers need to match this with a positive attitude to workers older than the current retirement age.

"Although we have witnessed heightened levels of optimism in recent months, these findings highlight the real impact that the economic downturn is having on Britain's workforce not simply today, but the knock-on effects it will have in the years to come."