The government should warn young people against failing to take out a pension, unions have warned.

The TUC urged ministers to take action with publication of a survey on Friday that found just 24 per cent of young men are in occupational pension schemes.

It called for a major campaign from the government to raise awareness.

As one solution, unions called for the government to allow young people - who change jobs more frequently - to take their pension contributions with them.

The TUC called for greater flexibility to be built into the system and for compulsory saving in company schemes to be brought in.

"Too few young people realise that a failure to save now will cost them dearly in their old age," warned assistant general secretary Kay Carberry.

"It's easy to understand why most young people don't have pensions. Many don't earn much, they might have run up huge debts from university, be keen to start a family or get on the property ladder.

"But young people who haven't started pensions early in their working life are storing up problems for themselves in later life."