Top hedge fund quant grads earn more in China than HK & SG
When it comes to quantitative finance roles in Asia, it's often seen as a battle between Singapore and Hong Kong for supremacy. A recent report from recruitment firm Selby Jennings reflects how much quants make in the two cities and suggests this need not be so: it says the pay ranges for quants in Hong Kong and Singapore are identical.
Instead, it seems that some of the highest paid quants in Asia are PhD graduates working in mainland China. Though the lower end of the salary ranges are very similar to Hong Kong and Singapore, quants at the upper end of Chinese hedge funds can earn significantly more
At so-called "tier one" hedge funds and trading firms, Chinese PhD grads earn $50k more in salaries and $60k more in total compensation.
With a few years' experience, though, mainland Chinese quants should be earning much more. The report says that buy-side quants with 2–5 years of experience earn up to $180k in Hong Kong and Singapore but up to $300k in China. These figures aren't an extension of those previous, as this now also includes non PhD graduates.
If further education isn't your thing, you might want to stay a quant in Singapore or Hong Kong earlier in your career, however. Though figures for each even out at the senior end, Chinese quants with 2-5 YOE are paid $30k less in their salaries than quants in Hong Kong and Singapore at the lower end of the average salary range.
Download Selby Jennings' north and southeast Asia salary reports here and here.
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