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Study Shows Who Earns The Most, Least In London's Financial Industry

Tom Burroughes

29 August 2017

A study of 4,000 salaries from senior employees in London found that despite all the alleged threats posed by the UK’s exit from the European Union, and other concerns, banking remains the best-paid profession, ahead of other categories of financial job.

, a salary benchmarking site drawing data provided by industry players, found that merger and acquisition-focused bankers came out top, with total remuneration (salary plus bonus) of £308,000 ($3918,912), ahead of trading jobs in banks, at £295,000, and institutional sales at banks, at £288,000. In fourth spot was banking structuring, at £269,000, followed by banking origination and syndication, at £265,000.

The report, issued late last week, noted that bonus payments used to represent the larger part of a banker's annual compensation packages. Over the last ten years, however, base salaries have progressively increased partly to allow for larger bonus payments.

In line with UK regulations introduced after the 2008 financial crisis to curb excessive risk-taking, bonuses are now lower than base salaries, Emolument.com said.

The report does not make for happy reading for those in the asset management and ratings agency areas. The five worst paying jobs are asset management middle/back office (£112,000); banking middle/back office £128,000); rating agency research/economist ((£134,000); rating agency rating analysis (£139,000); asset management risk/actuary (£142,000).

“While base salaries have increased in the last few years, regulation has squeezed banking bonuses. Meanwhile, buy-side firms, especially those not subject to pay regulations such as hedge funds and VC firms have been looking increasingly attractive for bankers looking to retain top paying positions in the industry,” Alice Leguay, co-founder at Emolument.com, said.

The issue of pay is in the limelight, and is likely to be in mind as financial executives begin returning to work for the final quarter of this year after the holiday season break. The UK government is reportedly intent on bringing in a public register of firms where shareholders sought to thwart pay rises for company bosses. The register is due, media reports said, to be unveiled this week by Greg Clark, business secretary. The register will be based on data from the Investment Association, a UK trade organisation. The move is seen as an attempt by the present Conservative-led government to be tough on the pay of corporate “fat cats” and hence appeal to voters who resent high pay for senior executives.