“What chu talking about Willis?”

Bad timing, we know. But we missed a salary survey that was released earlier this month. It looks like salary numbers from early 2008 and bonus & carried interest numbers from last year paint a rosy picture of private equity compensation. With droves of bankers seeking work, and fewer deals being done, will salaries hold up in 2008/2009? We think no. Readers? Weigh in below.

Now, for the results. Figures from the Private Equity Analyst-Holt Compensation Study are below. Salaries of PE professionals were up year over year. The numbers reflect salaries as of April 1, 2008 and bonus and carried interest from 2007 from 167 “ independent and institutional buyout, venture and mezzanine firms.”

NORTH AMERICA

Aggregated (all firm types, all staff, investment pros & administrative)
Salaries up 5.3% to $200,000 vs $190,000 in 2006
Salaries + bonuses: up 25% to $375,000 vs $300,000 in 2006
Total comp (Salaries + bonuses + carried interest): up 27.3% to $401,000 vs $315,000 in 2006

Senior investment staff (managing partners, senior partners & partners) –
Buyout firms - Total comp: up 23% to $1.03MM from $836,000
VC firms - Total comp: up 37% % to $956,500 from $698,175

Junior investment staff (principals, VPs, senior associates, associates & analysts) –
Buyout firms -  Total comp: up 35% to $253,000 from $188,000
VC firms - Total comp: up 22% to $200,000 from $167,000

EUROPE

Senior investment staff –
Buyout firms - Total comp: up 49% to $691,000 from $464,5000

Junior investment staff –
Buyout firms - Total comp: up 29% from $150,100 to $194,000

Note: the European sample size only included 18 firms, vs 124 US firms

via PENews, PEAnalyst and WSJ

Don’t forget to check out BankersBall’s own salary surveys.