Portfolio Group 
Portfolio HR & Reward 
Portfolio Credit Control 
Portfolio Procurement 
Portfolio Payroll Canada 
Hiring Insights
Nearly 600 payroll professionals and over 1,700 salary data points went into our 2026/27 Payroll Salary Guide, giving a clear read on how UK payroll teams are hiring, and who is looking to move.
Hiring held steady through 2026, but employers became far more selective about when and who they hire. Here’s what the data tells employers and job seekers about payroll recruitment heading into 2027.
When are employers hiring?
More than half of respondents recruited at least one payroll professional in the past 12 months, with backfilling existing roles still by far the most common reason to hire. Forward plans are more cautious: just 22% expect to recruit in the next six months, down from 42% last year, and more employers can’t say when they’ll next hire at all.
With tighter budgets and less room to absorb a poor hire, employers are holding out for a closer match on skills and experience, adding interview stages and lengthening processes. Since mid-2026, though, the wider market has started to stabilise, with REC and KPMG reporting permanent placements levelling off and temporary billings continuing to grow.
Where temporary support fits: just under 12% of organisations had hired a temporary or interim payroll professional in the year before the survey, but those briefs have picked up since the summer. For teams carrying more than they can sustain, interim cover bridges the gap without committing to permanent headcount. Talk to us about temporary cover.
Who is looking to move?
Fewer payroll professionals are actively job hunting than last year, but the profile of those who are has shifted sharply towards managers, who now make up 57% of active movers.
Pay isn’t the main driver. Among managers looking to move within three months, 24% had seen their own team shrink in the past year, and a further 26% had seen company payroll headcount grow with no matching increase in their team. Managers are also significantly more likely than practitioners and specialists to work overtime every week.
Financial Services, Banking & Insurance has the highest proportion of people looking to leave, despite being among the best paid and best benefited sectors in the survey. For employers, keeping payroll managers now depends as much on team capacity, workload and working arrangements as it does on salary.
What matters most when choosing a new role?
Salary still matters, but it rarely decides a move on its own. Pay satisfaction is lowest among those planning to move soon, yet flexibility, workload and benefits carry just as much weight. The most common working pattern is three days in the office and two at home, but the arrangement most people actually want is the reverse: two in, three at home.
Benefits are where employers can stand out. Among those who don’t already have them, 95% would want death in service cover and 94% an enhanced pension, while a birthday day off (99%) and festive shutdown (98%) are the most valued perks on offer. The biggest gap is wellbeing days: only 20% have access, but 83% of those without would like them.
Development counts too. 70% of respondents have their CIPP membership funded by their employer, and funded membership and qualifications both rank among the most desired benefits for those who don’t already get them. Register a vacancy and we’ll help you build a package that stands out.
