ALMOST half of Yorkshire's "baby boomers" face poverty during retirement, a survey said today.

Figures from general union the GMB showed that about 326,000 of the 652,000 people born between 1945 and 1954 had no occupational pension and would have to rely on the state pension for their income in retirement.

Now the union is demanding laws to force employers to contribute to pension schemes for their workers.

GMB figures showed that the age group make up more than 21% of the working population in the region.

Kirklees is fifth in the regional table for the number of baby boomers among its workers.

In Kirklees, there are 51,578 workers in the age range, representing 21.6% of the working population.

Neighbouring Calderdale has 26,650 (22.8%), Bradford 56,096 (20%), Leeds 85,971 (19.3%) and Wakefield 42,950 (22.2%).

GMB general secretary Kevin Curran said: "As the baby boomers begin to retire, the pensions crisis will get worse.

"Without access to occupational pensions, 326,000 workers in Yorkshire are to join the millions of people already living in pensioner poverty."

Mr Curran said employers had to accept their part of the responsibility to provide decent pensions.

He said there was no option but to have compulsory employer contributions, adding: "We have a pensions crisis that requires a radical solution."