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Payroll clerk

Also called wages clerk, payroll officer, payroll bookeeper

Payroll clerks manage the time sheets and pay checks of the employees and ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information. They check overtime, sick days and vacations and distribute the pay checks.

Will there be jobs?Yes, good prospects48 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Numerical and material recording clerksWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,100 (Bulgaria) to €4,900 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Numerical and material recording clerksWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Numerical and material recording clerksWill AI change it?StronglyLevel 6 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Payroll clerks · ILO

What you'd do

Payroll clerks · ILO
  • Maintaining records of employee attendance, leave and overtime to calculate pay and benefit entitlements, using manual or computerized systems
  • Preparing and verifying statements of earnings for employees, indicating gross and net salaries and deductions such as taxes, union dues, garnishments and insurance and pension plans
  • Preparing employee payments and benefit payments by cheque or electronic transfer
  • Reviewing time sheets, work charts, wage computation and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies
  • Verifying attendance, hours worked and pay adjustments, and posting information onto designated records
Trace financial transactionsCalculate wagesCarry out financial transactionsExamine budgetsPrepare paychecks+ 3 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks"

Will there be jobs?

Yes, good prospects

Many jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as numerical and material recording clerks in the EU
6.67m6.39m7.91m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
1,236,000 new jobs 1,933,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Numerical and material recording clerks48
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of payroll clerks, 4 a surplus.
Payroll clerks · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,100 a month (Bulgaria) to €4,900 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among clerical support workers in the EU, women earn 9% less per hour than men. Clerical support workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of numerical and material recording clerks (EU, 2025)
Degree 27%Vocational 47%General secondary 13%Basic schooling 13%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Strongly

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.61 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 5 tasks
Verifying attendance, hours worked and pay adjustments, and posting information onto designated records0.70
Maintaining records of employee attendance, leave and overtime to calculate pay and benefit entitlements, using manual or computerized systems0.67
Preparing and verifying statements of earnings for employees, indicating gross and net salaries and deductions such as taxes, union dues, garnishments and insurance and pension plans0.58
Preparing employee payments and benefit payments by cheque or electronic transfer0.58
Reviewing time sheets, work charts, wage computation and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies0.51

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for payroll clerks. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).