A private-sector worker wishing to build up a pension equal to that of a long-serving career civil servant would need contributions equal to 37 per cent of pay, a new analysis shows.

According to a study by the professional services firm PwC, a civil servant who is a college graduate and rises through the ranks over a 40-year career will have a pension roughly 2½ times that of a private-sector worker beginning a career at the same time and retiring at the same date.