The labor market on Wall Street is warming up, if the year-end numbers of Wall Street's biggest institutions are any measure.
The largest publicly traded banks and brokerages added about 22,400 workers in 2010, a 2.3% increase in total headcount, according to an analysis of financial statements by FINS.com and The Wall Street Journal.
Those same companies set aside $149.1 billion in 2010 compensation, 5.7% more than they did in 2009. The average pay per Wall Street worker ticked up from about $144,800 to $149,600, a 3% increase.
In terms of hiring, JPMorgan Chase & Co. was most aggressive, adding 17,515 workers. Bank of America Merrill Lynch came in No. 2 with almost 4,000 new workers, followed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which added 3,200 to its ranks.
Relative to size, however, The Blackstone Group was most expansive, tacking on 280 new workers, an increase 23% in total headcount. Employment at Jefferies Group Inc. rose by almost 18% thanks to 456 new employees.
Citigroup Inc. came in at the bottom of the list, having trimmed 5,000 people from payroll, followed by NYSE, which shrunk by almost 400 workers, a 12% reduction, possibly in advance of merger talks with Deutsche Börse.
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