Total hedge fund compensation is set to rise in 2017, according to a Greenwich Associates and compensation consultants Johnson Associates. But the structure of that increased pay and who gets it.
Hedge fund compensation: Young quants in demand
“It’s also a good time to be young,” Greenwich Associates Associate Director, Relationship Manager William Llamas noted in the 2017 Asset Management Compensation report. It is also good to have a technical focus when working in a hedge fund.
Compensation for junior professionals, particularly those with a technical bent, has never been stronger.
“The boom in quantitative products and continued strong demand from hedge funds has created a buyers’ market for experienced programmers and data scientists,” the report, titled “Conditions Turn Favorable, But Winter May Be Coming,” stated. “In both areas, the fact that asset managers are being forced to compete for talent against companies across financial services, technology, and virtually all other industries is putting upward pressure on compensation.”
While younger professionals are doing better relative to previous years, the lion’s share of compensation continues to go to the experienced asset manager.