Payroll Services
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 4,400 payroll services in the US provide accounting, bookkeeping, and billing services related to workforce management. Payroll services provide outsourced services to clients that lack the resources, expertise, or desire to manage the process inhouse. Firms collect information on hours worked, pay rates, deductions, and other payroll-related data from clients; calculate payroll and tax obligations for each employee; prepare payroll tax returns for the employer; and process the withholding, deposit, and payment of employment taxes.
Evolving Regulatory Environment
The regulatory environment for payroll operations and employee benefit plan administration is characterized by constant change.
Security Breaches
Because payroll service providers collect, use, and maintain large amounts of personal information on their clients’ workforces, security breaches pose a significant threat to business.
Industry size & Structure
The average payroll services provider operates out of a single location, employs about 49 workers, and generates $6.2 million in annual revenue.
- The payroll services industry consists of about 4,400 companies that employ 216,500 workers and generate about $27.6 billion annually.
- The industry is concentrated; the top 4 companies account for about 50% of industry revenue, the top 50 companies account for 66% of industry revenue.
- Large firms that offer payroll services include Intuit, Paychex, ADP, and Gusto. Large firms may operate internationally and offer other human resources-related services.
Industry Forecast
Payroll Services Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Nov 25, 2024 - US Jobs Market to Cool Slightly
- Economic forecasters’ view of the US labor market is mainly optimistic, according to the most recent survey of economists by The Wall Street Journal. Overall, the panel of 66 economists’ view of the jobs situation was generally in line with the previous survey in July 2024. They expect the US employment rate to be about 4.2% by the end of the year and that the US will add an average of about 130,400 jobs per month over the next year. While the forecasters’ view does mark a slight cooling of the US labor market, they do not expect a significant increase in unemployment.
- In mid-November, a federal judge in Texas struck down a Department of Labor (DOL) rule that expanded overtime pay for US workers. In April 2024, the DOL issued final regulations that raised the salary threshold for white-collar workers to receive overtime. As a result of the DOL rule, the annual salary threshold increased to $43,888 from $35,568. The Texas court ruling now blocks a second increase raising the threshold to $58,656, which was scheduled to take effect in January 2025. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must pay overtime for working more than 40 hours per week. However, salaried workers with some executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) duties and a minimum salary are exempt from the overtime rule. The federal judge in Texas ruled that by setting the salary threshold as high as it did, the DOL created a “de facto ‘salary only’ test for the EAP exemption.” The Texas court ruling will strip overtime eligibility from an estimated 1 million workers. The Texas lawsuit was brought by a coalition of business and trade associations led by the Chamber of Commerce in Plano, Texas.
- In a recent poll by Flexjobs, 34% of workers said they thought artificial intelligence (AI) would lead to job displacement over the next five years. Nearly half (49%) of respondents said they do not use AI, and 21% said they use AI for work-related and professional purposes. Almost 20% (19%) of those surveyed said they rely on AI to support their job searches, including writing cover letters and résumés. About a quarter of Millennials (24%) said they use AI for professional or personal purposes, followed by Gen X (21%) and baby boomers (16%). About 9% of those surveyed said they expect AI to make their current job obsolete within the next five years.
- Wage reductions that swept through the white-collar workforce in 2023 are taking hold in several blue-collar sectors, according to The Wall Street Journal. During the pandemic, when employers were starving for workers, recruits were lured by generous pay. However, the power dynamic has shifted as the labor market has softened, and many employers are offering lower wages. Among 20,000 different job titles listed on ZipRecruiter, so far in 2024, average posted pay has dropped in retail, agriculture, manufacturing, food, and transportation and warehousing. Some of the biggest declines in advertised pay offerings were in retail (down nearly 60%), agriculture (-24.5%), and manufacturing (-17.3%). Some white-collar positions are also seeing new-hire wages drop. Wages for new hires in finance have fallen 9.2% in the past year, professional services wages are off 2.4%, and insurance pay has declined 1.6%, according to payroll and benefits software firm Gusto.
Get A Demo
Vertical IQ’s Industry Intelligence Platform
See for yourself why over 60,000 users trust Vertical IQ for their industry research and call preparation needs. Our easy-to-digest industry insights save call preparation time and help differentiate you from the competition.
Build valuable, lasting relationships by having smarter conversations -
check out Vertical IQ today.