A relatively strong job market, new tax breaks and state mandates are leading more small businesses to offer employees a 401(k) plan, the Wall Street Journal reported. The state mandate boost can be seen in California, Oregon and Illinois. Those three states were among the first to require private-sector employers that don’t offer retirement plans to give employees access to state-sponsored programs. They automatically enroll workers in individual retirement accounts. Employees control their assets and can opt out of saving. Seven states have such programs, with another four developing them. But instead of putting workers into the state options, many companies are choosing the often more expensive route of opening their own 401(k) plan. In those three states, companies have adopted 401(k) plans at a faster rate than the national average, according to an analysis being released April 14 by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In California, for example, there was a 16% increase in new 401(k)-type plans in 2019 through 2021, compared with 2013 to 2018. The state officially started its CalSavers Retirement Savings program in 2019.