The sixth annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends has revealed that only 58% of full-time employees in the US said that they have disability income insurance protection.

The study has also revealed that nearly half of those 58% have admitted that they don’t know how much protection they have. The majority of working Americans (59%) have taken no steps to determine their households’ needs with regard to disability coverage.

According to MetLife, in the event that an individual becomes unable to work because of sickness or injury, disability income insurance can replace a portion of lost income, helping to ensure that day-to-day living expenses are covered and that long-term financial goals can be addressed.

Michael Fradkin, vice president of MetLife Group Disability Income, said: The workplace can be a starting point for building a strong financial safety net, and it is important for American workers to understand the disability coverage, if any, that they have through their employer, and take steps to supplement it if it’s not adequate for their needs or not available.