Young workers overlook payroll as strategic career option

Research from Cezanne HR shows that only 3% of workers aged 18 to 24 view payroll as a strategic business function, suggesting a potential recruitment challenge for a role central to paying staff.

The survey found that just 13% would choose a career in payroll when offered graduate roles with equal pay and benefits. That put payroll behind technology roles at 27%, social media at 26% and marketing at 20%.

The findings suggest younger workers often view payroll narrowly. Nearly six in ten (59%) associated it mainly with accuracy and compliance, indicating that many see it as administrative rather than a broader business function.

That matters because payroll is a core operation in any organisation. Errors can damage staff trust, while compliance failures can create financial and legal risks.

Career Appeal

At the same time, younger workers are not wholly dismissing payroll. Some 41% said they would be interested in learning more about a career in the field, while another 24% felt neutral. That means 67% were at least somewhat open to it.

The gap between low first-choice appeal and broader openness suggests an awareness problem rather than outright rejection. Cezanne’s figures show payroll ranking poorly against more visible office roles, especially those linked to technology and digital media.

Creative and content-based roles attracted 44% of young workers, more than double the share interested in finance and operations roles such as payroll. The contrast shows how younger employees are weighing career options at the start of their working lives.

Impact ranked highest when respondents were asked what matters in a career, with 61% naming it as a priority. Creativity followed at 55%, while 48% pointed to stability.

Those preferences may seem at odds with payroll’s image, despite the function offering stable employment and direct influence over employee experience. The survey suggests that the link is not well understood among younger workers.

Lisa Hopper, Payroll and Services Director at Cezanne HR, said, “Payroll is one of those functions that is only truly noticed when something goes wrong, but when it works well it underpins trust, engagement and financial wellbeing across the entire workforce. The fact that so few young workers see it as a strategic business function shows we have a real perception problem to address.”

Her comments reflect a long-standing issue for payroll teams, which often operate in the background unless mistakes draw attention. That can make the profession harder to explain to school leavers, graduates and early-career workers when comparing roles across business functions.

Skills Risk

For employers, the concern is not only image but succession. If fewer younger workers enter the workforce, businesses may struggle to replace experienced practitioners as they retire.

That could put pressure on organisations trying to maintain pay accuracy, tax compliance and operational continuity. Payroll teams are also working in a more complex environment as employers navigate changing rules, digital systems and rising expectations around timely, accurate pay.

Hopper said, “Modern payroll is about far more than compliance. It sits at the intersection of technology, data, employee experience and business decision-making. If we want the next generation to consider payroll as a viable and rewarding career, we need to do a better job of showing the real impact the role has on people’s lives.”

The findings come as employers continue to digitise HR and payroll processes. That shift has changed the nature of payroll work, but the survey suggests younger workers’ perceptions have not kept pace.

Cezanne is based in London and also has an office in Glasgow. It provides HR and payroll software and offers managed payroll services to UK employers.

Hopper said, “If fewer young people are willing to pursue a career in payroll, the question becomes who will ensure the future workforce gets paid. Payroll is one of the most business-critical functions in any organisation, and we must do more to highlight the breadth, impact and long-term opportunities the profession offers.”