Payroll leadership faces a 2040 crisis that has nothing to do with compliance, technology, or AI. It's our failure to attract, educate, and listen to the next generation of payroll professionals.
In this episode of @thepayrollpodcast, Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment, sits down with Troy Markusson, a global payroll leader with nearly 30 years of experience in large-scale payroll operations, transformation, and compliance, to unpack his original research project, Payroll 2040. Built from surveys and roundtables with over 200 students and early-career professionals, the research asks the question almost no one else is asking: what does the next generation actually think about payroll, and are we building a profession they even want to inherit?
The conversation dives into the research's most striking findings, including how many early-career employees say they do not trust their employer to get their pay right, how quickly that trust breaks down over even a small dollar-value error, and why the vast majority want a human being, not an AI chatbot, the moment something goes wrong. Troy and Nick also explore payroll's looming talent cliff, why so many payroll departments still undersell the profession to the people who could power its future, and how language, storytelling, and even "payroll nerd" culture are becoming real tools for reclaiming the profession's identity.
It is not a technology problem.
It is not a compliance problem.
It is a trust problem.
Troy shares what his research revealed about closing the education gap, where AI genuinely helps versus where it undermines trust, and why strong cross-functional partnerships, not better systems, are what will actually carry payroll into its next era. Whether you're a payroll leader building your team's future or simply passionate about where this profession is headed, this episode reframes the payroll technology conversation around the people who matter most.
This episode is sponsored by Deel
Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide.
See how Deel works at www.deel.com/nickday
Guest and Host:
Connect with Troy Markusson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-markusson/
Check out Troy's payroll nerd merchandise: https://www.nerdoutfitters.shop/
Connect with Nick Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/
Find your ideal candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea
Sign up for our newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7
Stay tuned for the next episode of The Payroll Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon!
Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thehrldpodcast for more great content!
Timestamps:
(00:01) Introduction: Payroll's Greatest Future Risk
(01:40) What Payroll Really Means: Trust Behind Every Payslip
(06:10) Inside the Payroll 2040 Research Project
(09:53) Key Findings: Trust, Errors, and AI Discomfort
(17:22) Why Payroll Isn't Marketed Like Other Careers
(21:30) The Hardest Skills to Replace as Talent Retires
(24:18) The Payroll Talent Cliff
(27:01) What Language Attracts (and Repels) Young Talent
(32:58) The Pay Slip Understanding Gap
(34:39) What Payroll Data Reveals Beyond Payroll
(47:14) Reclaiming Payroll's Identity Through Storytelling
(52:04) Payroll Vault: Career Advice, AI, and Final Takeaways
