As the rising cost of living begins to bite, it’s no surprise that 1 in 4 job hunters are worried about finding a role that will cover all their needs. Inflation is also causing concern, with mentions of the word in employee reviews up 330% on Glassdoor in the last year.
So which employers are paying big money? According to Glassdoor salary data, the top 20 highest paying companies in the UK in 2022 are:
- Citadel (£121,759)
- Contino (£108,128)
- White & Case (£107.115)
- G-Research (£101,066)
- Google Cloud (£99,677)
- Palantir Technologies (£98,095)
- Squarepoint Capital (£96,933)
- Bank of America Merill Lynch (£94,393)
- MongoDB (£93,993)
- Pegasystems (£93,844)
- Databricks (£92,516)
- Credit Suisse (£90,120)
- Astellas (£88,356)
- Meta (£88,321)
- Nomura Holdings (£88,099)
- British International Investment (£87,549)
- Federated Homes (£87,481)
- Kearney (£87,212)
- Docusign (£86,579)
- LinkedIn (£85,997)
Glassdoor economist Lauren Thomas says, “Tech and finance firms make up the lion’s share of the UK's high-paying companies this year - and there’s great salaries on offer. The top ten companies pay an average base salary of over £93,000, placing their average employee in the top 4% of UK taxpayers.”
Read on to learn more about what current employees have to say about each company on the list.
1. Citadel
- Average Base Salary: £121,759
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Work with really smart people who want to get things done and deliver results for the business.” - Citadel Software Engineer
2. Contino
- Average Base Salary: £108,128
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “The company really cares about people. The company values are genuine and rewarded. Management communication is open and honest which is a breath of fresh air compared to other consultancies.” - Contino current employee
3. White & Case
- Average Base Salary: £107,115
- Industry: Legal
What employees say: “Exciting work, great people, very international and welcoming work culture, high pay for attorneys and great benefits.” - White & Case Associate
4. G-Research
- Average Base Salary: £101,066
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “G-Research has been a brilliant place to work. You are surrounded by incredibly smart, motivated colleagues, and are given the budget and support to consistently improve your skills.” - G-Research current employee
5. Google Cloud
- Average Base Salary: £99,677
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Great culture, believes in mission and principles. Very collaborative environment.” - Google Cloud Go To Market Manager
- Average Base Salary: £98,095
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Great support network, unique and flexible growth paths, great benefits and community.” - Palantir Technologies current employee
- Average Base Salary: £96,933
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Surrounded by smart and diligent people. Company invests in long-term projects such as infra which facilitates research and collaboration. Experienced and skillful management..” - Squarepoint Capital Quantitative Researcher
- Average Base Salary: £94,393
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Great culture of growth and development. Company cares for its employees.” - Global Markets Operations Analyst Bank of America Merill Lynch
9. MongoDB
- Average Base Salary: £93,993
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “There is a strive for excellence in all aspects of the work and you are given the freedom and support to reach your true potential.” - MongoDB Advisory Solutions Architect
10. Pegasystems
- Average Base Salary: £93,844
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Flexible working and many opportunities to learn and train.” - Pegasystems Senior Systems Architect
11. Databricks
- Average Base Salary: £92,516
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Amazing 'scale up' company with world class technologies already in market and so much more to develop.” - Databricks Business Development Manager
12. Credit Suisse
- Average Base Salary: £90,120
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Good salary and pension, good work life balance.” - Credit Suisse Software Developer
13. Astellas
- Average Base Salary: £88,356
- Industry: Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology
What employees say: “Good reward and recognition schemes, senior management support for staff, great working atmosphere and internal collaboration” - Astellas Market Access
14. Meta
- Average Base Salary: £88,321
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Supportive manager and team members who are committed to listening and working together effectively to move projects forward.” - Meta Programme Manager
15. Nomura Holdings
- Average Base Salary: £88,099
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Good colleagues. Lots of opportunities. Great office.” - Nomura Holdings Global Markers Analyst
16. British International Investment (formerly CDC Group)
- Average Base Salary: £87,549
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Great combination of commercial rigour with a mission.” - British International Investment Sustainable Investment Manager
17. Federated Hermes
- Average Base Salary: £87,481
- Industry: Finance
What employees say: “Plenty of opportunities to be proactive and add value. Great CEO and thought leadership.” - Federated Hermes Head of Department
18. Kearney
- Average Base Salary: £87,212
- Industry: Consulting
What employees say: “Flexible working hours, great training opps and global projects.” - Kearney Marketing
19. Docusign
- Average Base Salary: £86,579
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Great transparent leadership from the CEO. Flexible and supportive culture” - Docusign Enterprise Account Executive
20. LinkedIn
- Average Base Salary: £85,997
- Industry: Tech
What employees say: “Mission and values led organisation who look after their people.” - LinkedIn Account Director
Understand Your Worth
In April 2020, Glassdoor introduced Salary Estimates to job listings in the UK. These Salary Estimates were designed to help job seekers understand and earn a competitive salary, providing them with the information they need to confidently negotiate their salary in either job interviews or on-the-job performance reviews.
Furthermore, in May 2020, Glassdoor launched Know Your Worth, a tool which calculates an individual’s personal “market value” by using sophisticated data science and machine learning algorithms that leverage millions of salary reports shared by employees on Glassdoor, while analysing real-time supply and demand trends in local job markets, and typical career transitions of people doing similar work. Each person’s market value, and pay range, is unique to the individual and is private. It is recalculated weekly and tracked over time.
Additional Resources
Methodology
Glassdoor identified the companies with the highest average total annualised base salaries. To be considered, companies must have received at least 25 salary reports in British pound sterling by either current or former full-time UK-based employees between June 15, 2021 and June 14, 2022.