More than three-quarters (76%) of staged employers are now noticing an administrative burden caused by the impact of pensions auto-enrolment, according to research by Close Brothers Asset Management.
Its latest Business barometer survey, which surveyed more than 400 UK employers, found that this is an increase of 7% since September 2014.
In addition, 45% of respondents are now seeking to review their auto-enrolment processing system, up from 43% in September.
Of these, 32% plan to review their systems within the next year. A further 5% will also review their system if they change payroll provider.
The research also found that 17% of respondents believe there are areas to improve on to meet their compliance duties.
In September, 36% were confident they complied fully and had robust systems in place but this has now fallen to 34%.
Similarly, 46% of respondents now believe they are adequately dealing with auto-enrolment requirements, down from 48% in September 2014.
Maxine McIntyre, head of corporate proposition at Close Brothers Asset Management, said: “Perceptions of auto-enrolment are clearly shifting as employers begin to come to terms with the ongoing work involved in the process, with many finding that there is yet more to be done to be as efficient as possible.
“While the majority of those that have staged are still confident they have met requirements, there is growing concern more can be done and needs to be done to meet and exceed their employer duty.
“In the long-term, auto-enrolment will bring with it more business benefits than complications, once the initial administrative bridge has been crossed, and seeking the right support now will help ease initial difficulties.”