Salaries Stayed Mostly Level During Pandemic: Study

The Covid-19 crisis wreaked havoc on the global economy, disrupted supply chains and cost millions of people their jobs. But for those who remained employed throughout the pandemic, their salaries remained largely unaffected by the Great Disrupter of 2020.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the median pay at more than 30% of companies listed on the S&P 500 fluctuated by 5% or less. Meanwhile, the median pay increased by more than 5% at 184 companies and fell by more than 5% at 125 others.

The Journal analyzed pay at 492 companies using regulatory disclosures and data provided by public-company intelligence provider MyLogIQ and found that about 140 companies said their median worker earned $100,000 in 2020, while nearly 50 reported their median worker earned below $30,000. Among the companies whose median worker made more than $100,000 were Netflix and CSX Corp. The companies paying their median worker less than $30,000 were Starbucks and Amazon. The paper noted that the numbers at all four companies were similar to those reported in 2019.

From Amazon to Starbucks, What Companies Paid Workers in the Pandemic

While the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted millions of jobs and most businesses, many workers kept their jobs and their salaries — and some saw pay rise. Median pay changed by 5% or less either way at about a third of S&P 500 companies. It rose by more than 5% at 184 companies, and fell by more than 5% at… Continue reading From Amazon to Starbucks, What Companies Paid Workers in the Pandemic

From Amazon to Starbucks, What Companies Paid Workers in the Pandemic

While the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted millions of jobs and most businesses, many workers kept their jobs and their salaries—and some saw pay rise.

Median pay changed by 5% or less either way at about a third of S&P 500 companies. It rose by more than 5% at 184 companies, and fell by more than 5% at 125.

Those are among the revelations from a Wall Street Journal analysis of annual disclosures by 492 companies using data provided by MyLogIQ. To see the median pay at S&P 500 companies, search or sort the table toward the bottom of this article.

Nearly 140 companies in the S&P 500—including Netflix Inc. and railroad CSX Corp. —said their median worker was paid at least $100,000 last year. Four dozen, including Starbucks Corp. and Amazon.com Inc., said their median worker made less than $30,000 last year. The wages from those four companies were little changed from 2019.

Here’s How Much S&P 500 Companies Paid Workers During the Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly caused upheaval for millions of workers, with many losing their jobs, while others have seen their work seriously disrupted. Many also, however, saw their roles unscathed by the pandemic, while some even saw pay rises, with a new analysis from The Wall Street Journal highlighting the differences in median pay among S&P 500 companies – the… Continue reading Here’s How Much S&P 500 Companies Paid Workers During the Pandemic

McDonald’s CEO Made 1,100 Times What His Workers Did

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has long required public corporations to disclose the compensation of their top officers. The debate about whether chief executive officers are paid too much has gone on for decades. Many investors object to high CEO pay, which often runs into the tens of millions of dollars. Boards of directors claim that good CEOs are hard to find and that they have responsibilities for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers.

Last year, the CEO of McDonald’s, Christopher Kempczinski, made 1,189 times the median compensation of his workers, according to an exclusive analysis of the pay of 294 public company CEOs done by MyLogIQ, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to examine SEC data. His total pay was $10,847,032 in 2020. The company’s proxy stated, “McDonald’s is committed to a strong pay-for-performance culture that closely aligns the interests of executives with those of shareholders.”

This CEO Made 2,900 Times More Than His Employees

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has long required public corporations to disclose the compensation of their top officers. The debate about whether chief executive officers are paid too much has gone on for decades. Many investors object to high CEO pay, which often runs into the tens of millions of dollars. Boards of directors claim that good CEOs are hard to find and that they have responsibilities for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers.

Last year, one American CEO made over $200 million, which is 2,963 more than the median compensation of his workers. According to the SEC, “The median employee’s annual total compensation was $71,259 in 2020” at the company he runs. He was also the only CEO to make over $100 million, according to an exclusive analysis of the pay of 294 public company CEOs done by MyLogIQ, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze public company data.

This CEO Made 300 Times More Than His Workers

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has long required that public companies post the annual compensation of their top executives in their proxies. In 2015, the SEC ruled that public corporations had to show how much their CEOs made in relationship with the median salary of their firm’s workers. The rule went into effect in 2017. The decision was part of the larger Dodd-Frank Act, which Congress passed as a sweeping reform of the federal’s governments financial regulations.

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, MyLogIQ provides information about public companies. The firm has provided data exclusively to 24/7 Wall St. that covers CEO pay ratios from 294 public companies that have released their 2020 proxies. CEO compensation included salary, bonuses, stock awards, stock options, long-term incentives, short-term incentives and changes in pension values, all of which are required to be broken out by SEC rules.

The person who had the highest ratio of pay to the median compensation of his company’s employees was Michael F. Roman, the board chair and chief executive officer of 3M. His ratio was an extraordinary 308 to 1. In the 3M proxy, the company reported, “[W]e selected the median employee from among 96,902 full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal workers who were employed as of December 31, 2020.”