Millennials are on track to comprise roughly three-fourths of the total U.S. workforce within the next decade, but the unprecedented amount of student loan debt members of this generation have incurred is now impacting their financial decisions in post-college life.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Minneapolis-based PR agency PadillaCRT and conducted by market research firm ORC International, Millennials’ financial insolvency may also be affecting their role in the workforce, as college debt could be making it harder for employers to retain quality Millennial staff.

The study found that one in four Millennials now owe more than $30,000 in student loans, and a quarter of respondents now expect it will take at least several decades to pay off that outstanding debt, with the majority now believing they'll still be making student loan repayments at least into their 30s, if not their 40s.

Millennials in the Workplace - Study by PadillaCRT

The study's analysis of today's student loan norms also highlights a potential financial debt disparity between the sexes: the study revealed that forty-two percent of women possess more than $30,000 in student loans, compared to a 27 percent of men. Female respondents were also more than twice as likely than men to think it will take more than 20 years to pay off their college debts.

Such hefty financial burdens have an added economic effect of delaying “traditional” life milestones for Millennials such as buying a house or having children, but the study suggests a correlation may also exist between straddling all this crushing debt and Millennials’ present standing in the workplace. As it turns out, being burdened excess debt may also be affecting Millennials' employment flexibility as well as their performance at work, which ultimately bodes poorly for employers as well.

More than a third — 37 percent — of Millennial women polled, as well as a quarter of men, said they’re less likely to stay with their current employer due to simply their current financial situation. Less than a third — 29 percent — of Millennials said they consider themselves engaged at work, and only a little more than half — 55 percent — said they feel like they have a good idea of what is going on at their company.

A 2013 Gallup study showed that highly engaged workforces outperform less-engaged companies by 147 percent higher earnings per share over time and also enjoy a 90 percent better growth trend.

The PadillaCRT / ORC International survey polled 1,000 Millennials between the ages of 22-35 that have at least a four-year college degree.