Majority of PE and VC employees received 2020 pay rise

According to new figures, three quarters (74%) of private equity and venture capital  employees received a pay rise last year.

That figure compares with around half of employees working at corporates receiving a pay bump (58%) and consultancies (58%) and those in startups (45%).

Broken down by role in the PE/VC industry, a fifth (20%) of those pay rises went to associate levels, 14% to managers and 7% to director level professionals in the industry.

Movemeon’s 2021 Work & Pay Report, which is based on 35,000 data points, found that PE/VC employees command the highest total compensation (including basic, bonus, shares, pension and dividends), compared with professionals working in corporates, consultancies and startups.

PE directors are paid on average £279k, compared with £217k for those in startups, £197k for corporates and £194k for professionals in consultancies.

Additionally, management level in PE/VC commands £173k on average of total compensation, while corporates average £114k and consultancies £112k. Startups however, only command £93k on average.

The biggest divide is at associate level, where PE/VC associates command £160k in compensation, while corporates command £110k. Consultancies and startups however earn much less compensation with £79k and £77k, respectively.

New opportunities

A quarter (24%) of PE/VC professionals said they have been, or are likely, to look for a new position, specifically due to Covid-19. Similar responses were seen by consultancy professionals (29%) and corporate workers (25%). 

At the same time, nearly a third (30%) of professionals at startups either have been or are likely to look for a new role as a result of the pandemic.

Movemeon 2021 Work & Pay Report is part of the Payspective initiative, which aims to  create better insights around work, with a vision of making it happier, fairer, more diverse and more productive. The 35,000 data points used for this report came from more than 4,000 clients, including a member base of 50,000 candidates. Broken down, candidate demographics include directors (28%), managers (41%), associates (27%) and senior analysts (4%).