Pensionomics 2018 Measures the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pensions – Defined benefit pensions play a stabilizing role in local economies during economic downturns and have a substantial positive impact on the national economy, according to a new study by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). Retiree spending of pension benefits in 2016 generated $1.2 trillion in total economic output, supporting about 7.5 million jobs across the country and adding $202.6 billion in tax revenue to government coffers, the report found.