By the Obama administration's reckoning, half of the nation's work force does not have access to a retirement plan at work, such as an employer-sponsored 401(k) account or SIMPLE-IRA account.

The problem comes into sharper focus when you note that one-quarter to one-third of workers who have access to such plans are not enrolled. In most cases, this means the worker is not saving anything for his or her retirement.

"The fact is, even before this recession hit, the savings rate (accounting for consumer debt) was essentially zero," President Obama said Saturday, pointing out that behavior needs to change or our society's problems will only worsen as the population ages.

As much as our kids need to be reminded to study hard and stay in schools, working adults apparently are in need of encouragement and even enticements to improve their saving habits. Fortunately, the government recognizes this and is preparing to implement a series of initiatives that Obama signed off on over the weekend:

n Make it easier for companies to automatically enroll employees in a 401(k) or SIMPLE-IRA plan. The "automatic" nature of this step is said to be particularly helpful in raising participation rates by minorities and the poor. Employees always have the right to opt out of putting a part of their earnings into savings, or to change the amount.

n Make it easier to save a federal tax refund. Taxpayers already can have a refund direct-deposited to a bank account or designated for an IRA. In 2010 they will have the option of using a refund to buy U.S. Savings Bonds; in 2011 they will be able to buy bonds in the name of a child or grandchild.

n Allow workers leaving a job to convert unused vacation and leave time to money to be deposited in a 401(k) account.

n Provide a "Plain English Road Map" of tax-saving options available to workers who leave a job and receive money from a retirement account.

Government officials relied on behavioral science to identify ways to improve savings habits. What they found is the same thing that diligent savers have known all along: It helps to make saving a systematic process by paying yourself first; taking at least a share of future increases and setting that aside as well; and having appealing and easy-to-understand options available, such as taking your tax refund in savings bonds.