Employers are continue to cut pensions, says a report issued Monday by the General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

The number of private single-employer pension plans dropped by 52,000 from 2000 to 2011, according to the study.

From 2009 to 2011, 106,000 defined-contribution plans and 9,000 defined-benefit plans were terminated, outpacing the creation of 75,000 DC plans and 6,000 DB offerings.

“Tax incentives from increased contribution limits may have spurred new plan formation, other events -- such as company bankruptcies and consolidations stemming from the recent recession -- may have discouraged it,” the report said.

While the volume of plans declined from 2000 to 2011, the number of plan participants increased from 103.3 million to 129.6 million, a 25.5 percent gain as the private sector workforce in the nation declined roughly 1 percent from 111.9 million to 110.9 million.