This helps younger workers who migrate from job to job. You can take vested money with you when you leave the job. But if your employer matches your contribution, you usually have to wait before those matching funds are fully yours. Or vest you in full after just three years, while giving you nothing if you leave earlier. You can find your own IRA or simply pocket the cash.
Most workers cash out, and pay a tax.
Under the new law, employers will have to help you save by providing IRA options even for these small amounts. The change, however, might take three years. Of the many other reforms Congress proposed for retirement savings, virtually all are optional. As with the higher maximums for IRAs, this benefits only workers with money to spare. But the older you get, the more you'll probably try to save.