Holiday pay stuff-ups by the thousand.

It's emerged officials from the Labour Inspectorate have investigated 42 employers for payroll-related breaches of the Holidays Act in the past four years.

In eight cases they found arrears affecting around 24,000 employees.

The amount varies significantly - and ranged from an average of $70 to around $1800 per worker.

The Inspectorate said employers are at risk if they have staff whose hours fluctuate, or if they receive shift work or commission payments.