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The 2026 Barclay Simpson Salary Survey & Recruitment Trends Guide: Quant Trading, Analytics & Research
Barclay Simpson has been producing market reports across the areas we recruit for since 1990. For the 2026 edition of our Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends Guide for the quantitative trading, analytics and research market, we surveyed professionals and employers to gather their views on the issues affecting the industry and their profession.
This includes trends across permanent jobs, as well as wider developments shaping the quant market, such as artificial intelligence and equality, diversity and inclusion. We also examine current salary trends and provide the latest salary ranges for quant jobs.
Permanent jobs market for quants
The front-office quant recruitment market has remained reasonably active over the last year, with the first six months of 2026 proving to be modestly busier than the second half of last year.
Hiring across quant jobs is somewhat firmer on the buy side than the sell side, although both markets are experiencing consistent demand for skilled candidates who can make a strong and immediate impact within the business.
Notably, while cost management continues to be prevalent, we are seeing more investment into growth-oriented areas of firms, including systematic trading functions, quantitative research and AI-related projects. That said, this has generally resulted in concentrated hiring to fill skills gaps rather than large-scale team growth.
“Most organisations are still being selective with headcount, but there has been a noticeable increase in demand for revenue-generating and business-critical quant hires,” says Tamryn George, Lead Recruiter for Front Office Quants at Barclay Simpson.
“However, the market remains candidate-short in several specialist areas, with firms continuing to compete for a relatively small pool of experienced talent.”
Key areas of demand
On the buy side, it is hedge funds, quantitative investment firms and systematic trading businesses driving the majority of hiring, particularly where strong performance is supporting growth plans. Indeed, multi-strategy hedge funds are among the most active employers, generating robust competition for experienced researchers, developers and portfolio-facing quants.
Sell-side hiring is more targeted and subject to greater budget controls but continues to be broadly active. Among banks, the strongest demand is for front-office talent that can support trading revenues, electronic trading platforms or strategic technology initiatives. Demand has also remained visible across cross-asset quant analytics and pricing model development.
From a regulatory perspective, we have also seen continued hiring across model validation, model risk and quantitative governance functions, particularly for candidates with derivatives expertise. Geopolitical uncertainty and periods of market volatility have also reinforced the need for strong quantitative talent across trading, risk and investment functions.
In terms of skillsets, Python remains the most commonly required technical skill across both buy-side and sell-side firms. AI and machine learning (ML) expertise has also become more sought-after over the last year, as organisations look to incorporate these technologies into their functions.
For more information on AI-related hiring trends, please click here to read the ‘AI in quant recruitment’ section of this guide.
More broadly, firms are increasingly looking for professionals who can operate across multiple disciplines, as quantitative research, software engineering and ML continue to converge. Communication skills and business acumen are also important, especially for quants who regularly interact with traders, portfolio managers and senior stakeholders.
Ultimately, the strongest demand is often for candidates who can bridge quantitative research, technology and business functions, enabling them to contribute across the full investment lifecycle.
Barriers to hiring
Each year, we survey both employers and candidates about their opinions on the jobs market for their industry.
This year, firms told us they face a number of challenges when hiring, and the most frequently cited was candidates’ compensation expectations. Seven out of every ten employers mentioned this as a factor when trying to hire the right people.
Insufficient technical or regulatory knowledge was also a common complaint, with 63% claiming it is hindering their hiring efforts. While a distant third, remote working policies are a problem for 33% of employers, and 17% said their office location is creating challenges.
“We’re now seeing firms take a more global approach to hiring when searching for niche skillsets that are difficult to find locally,” says Tamryn.
“The willingness to relocate talent remains high for exceptional candidates, particularly between major financial centres such as London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.”
Top five recruitment challenges across quant jobs
| Challenge | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Compensation | 70% |
| Insufficient technical/regulatory knowledge | 63% |
| Remote working | 33% |
| Poor cultural fit | 23% |
| Office location | 17% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
Given the strength of demand for skilled front-office quants, it’s perhaps no surprise that professionals feel optimistic about their career prospects at the moment. Our Candidate Survey found that 88% are confident about the current jobs market, with 24% saying they are ‘very’ confident.
The most common challenge that candidates are facing is that too few jobs are being advertised, a problem that 57% of quants mentioned. More than a third (35%) referred to challenging recruitment processes, with a third also citing a reluctance to move from their current role.
Only 17% claimed advertised salaries or day rates were too low, one of the lowest figures across the disciplines we recruit for, emphasising that compensation packages for strong quants remain competitive.
How confident are you in the current job market?
What are the biggest challenges to securing a new role at the moment?
| Challenge | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Too few jobs being advertised | 57% |
| Challenging recruitment processes | 35% |
| Hesitant to move from current role | 33% |
| Advertised salaries or day rates are too low | 17% |
| Other | 4% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
Quant jobs in the US
At Barclay Simpson, we also work with professionals in North America and other locations worldwide. The US continues to be the busiest and most competitive market for front-office quants, outpacing both the UK and Europe over the last six months.
Hiring demand has been especially strong across hedge funds, proprietary trading firms and quantitative asset managers, with New York, Chicago and Miami continuing to be the main hot spots for activity.
“Competition for top performers remains intense, with firms willing to offer significant compensation packages to secure experienced quantitative talent,” Tamryn explains.
As with the UK market, much of this activity is being driven by investment in systematic trading strategies, alternative data research and AI and ML capabilities.
On the sell side, some US banks remain relatively cautious around headcount growth, but overall both sides of the market are showing a strong appetite for front-office quants with the right combination of technical and communication skills.
AI in quant recruitment
Last year, the UK Government announced a number of major reforms aimed at driving growth, creating jobs and boosting British businesses by leveraging AI. OECD estimates suggest that AI could improve productivity in the UK by up to 1.2 percentage points every year over the next decade, second only to the US in the G7.
Increasing AI adoption within organisations could also unlock as much as £140 billion in annual economic output. Within the financial services sector specifically, generative AI is estimated to bring productivity gains of as much as 30%.
In this, our 2026 Quants Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends Guide, we explore how AI is influencing the profession, both in the day-to-day operation of teams and within front-office quant recruitment.
Use of AI among quants on the rise
Generative AI is attracting considerable attention across financial services, but it appears that opinions among quant professionals about the technology’s impact are more nuanced.
For example, a CQF Institute survey of quants found that 83% were using or developing generative AI tools, with 25% saying it was saving them more than 10 hours a week by making workflows more efficient. An Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) poll last year also revealed that 95% of fund managers are using AI, with 75% saying they are using it more than before.
Top 3 use cases for generative AI among quants
- Coding and debugging (30% of respondents)
- Research and market sentiment analysis (21% of respondents)
- Report generation (20% of respondents)
Source: CQF Institute
However, more than half of quants (54%) surveyed by Bloomberg had not yet incorporated generative AI specifically into their investment processes. The most commonly cited barriers were data quality and the ability to create repeatable, explainable models.
This suggests that enthusiasm for generative AI is high, but quant teams are still dealing sensibly with its practical constraints, even in an industry that has traditionally embraced AI and ML.
Top 3 AI challenges
- Model explainability (41% of respondents)
- Computing costs (17% of respondents)
- Regulatory concerns (16% of respondents)
Source: CQF Institute
From a hiring perspective, we are already seeing elevated demand for candidates with strong quantitative finance experience, advanced data analytics skills and AI/ML capabilities. Experience within systematic trading, quantitative research, alpha generation and portfolio construction is particularly attractive.
Quants sceptical about AI in recruitment
While AI is a hot topic at the moment, it appears that both organisations and candidates have reservations about how the technology is used in recruitment. In fact, our surveys show that 81% of quants believe AI worsens recruitment processes overall.
When asked what specific impact AI has, 56% claimed that AI neither makes recruitment processes more efficient nor more effective. Only 8% believe it achieves both. Despite this scepticism, nearly a third (32%) of candidates said they had used AI themselves to improve their chances in a job application, which was among the highest levels across the disciplines that we cover.
Candidates
How do you feel about organisations using AI during the recruitment process?
Have you used AI to improve your chances during a job application?
Employers were also sceptical of AI in recruitment processes. More than half (56%) don’t currently use the technology during hiring, and a sizeable seven out of ten agreed with candidates that it makes recruitment neither more efficient nor more effective.
Of the organisations that are deploying AI in recruitment, it was most commonly used for CV screening and shortlisting (60%); writing and targeting job ads (51%); and interview support (33%).
Candidates
How AI impacts recruitment processes
- 56% – Neither more effective nor more efficient
- 28% – More efficient
- 8% – More effective and more efficient
- 8% – More effective
Employers
How AI impacts recruitment processes
- 70% – Neither more effective nor more efficient
- 20% – More efficient
- 6% – More effective and more efficient
- 4% – More effective
Additionally, more than a third of employers (34%) told us they view AI as a threat to their recruitment processes. The biggest concerns centre around the integrity of information provided on CVs (69%), the quality of candidate sourcing and selection (56%) and AI-enabled impersonation (45%).
What concerns you most about AI’s impact in recruitment?
| Concern | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Integrity of information on CVs | 69% |
| Quality of candidate sourcing and selection | 56% |
| AI-enabled impersonation | 45% |
| Integrity of interviews | 35% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
Equality, diversity and inclusion in quant jobs
At Barclay Simpson, we are committed to building diverse and inclusive workplaces where everyone’s contributions are respected and valued. Recruiters are in a unique position to promote the benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the world of employment, and we believe agencies should not only embrace these values internally, but also promote and support them across their wider communities.
This is now our second year of collecting EDI-focused data from our annual market report surveys, allowing us to provide year-on-year comparisons and draw deeper insights from our communities on these important issues.
EDI less of a focus for firms
When US President Donald Trump took office last year, he immediately signed Executive Orders to revoke long-standing affirmative action programmes for federal contractors and organisations that receive government funding.
These measures have had a noticeable impact on how companies approach EDI, even among firms not directly affected by federal funding. Many large US-headquartered businesses have scaled back or abandoned EDI initiatives and targets, including Meta, McDonald’s, Walmart, IBM and Goldman Sachs.
Recent research from law firm Freeths has revealed that some organisations in the UK are following suit. While affirmative action policies are prohibited under the country’s 2010 Equality Act, Freeths found that 54% of businesses say they have shifted their approach to ethical policies nonetheless, making them less of a priority.
But despite these broader changes in the political backdrop, our survey data indicates that diversity and inclusion still matter to quant professionals and the businesses that employ them.
When asked about the topic of EDI, 72% of quant professionals and 88% of hiring managers said it was important to them personally. Within those figures, 24% and 47% of respondents respectively described it as “very” important. More than four-fifths (82%) of employers also believe that EDI is important for attracting and retaining good-quality quants.
How important is EDI to you personally?
Candidates
Employers
This suggests that while organisations and employees may be less vocal about EDI, these efforts are still valued by many, and may in fact be gaining in importance to those who feel progress in this area could be sliding back.
Is EDI making a difference?
According to our data, there remains some scepticism about the effectiveness of EDI initiatives. Some 45% of quant professionals are neutral on whether their organisation’s commitment is making a meaningful difference — the most common response.
Furthermore, only 52% of candidates agree or strongly agree that their organisation demonstrates a firm commitment to EDI. There is a clear disconnect here between professionals and their employers, with 71% of firms believing they have successfully achieved an equal, diverse and inclusive culture.
Perceptions of equality, diversity and inclusion
| Response | Candidates | Employers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| “My organisation’s commitment to EDI makes a real difference” | “My organisation demonstrates a firm commitment to EDI” | “My organisation has an effective culture of EDI” | |
| Strongly agree | 8% | 12% | 24% |
| Agree | 27% | 40% | 47% |
| Neutral | 45% | 28% | 20% |
| Disagree | 16% | 16% | 6% |
| Strongly disagree | 4% | 4% | 3% |
The gap suggests that many organisations still have some work to do in making EDI results feel tangible to the people on the inside of the business. Policies and statements are important, but employees also need to see those commitments reflected in everyday decisions and access to opportunities.
One key challenge is that the areas where EDI is most visible can be among the hardest and slowest to change. This came through clearly in our Employer Survey, where increasing representation among leadership and board roles continued to be the most commonly cited barrier to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, chosen by 34% of organisations.
Building a fair hiring process (18%), motivating stakeholders (15%) and a fear of getting things wrong (12%) were also frequently mentioned problems.
What is the biggest challenge your company faces in creating a diverse and inclusive culture?
| Challenge | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| How to increase representation among leadership/board roles | 34% |
| Building a fair hiring process | 18% |
| Motivating stakeholders | 15% |
| Fear of getting things wrong | 12% |
| Setting and tracking key performance indicators | 8% |
| Insufficient employee EDI data | 6% |
| Achieving pay equity | 5% |
| Lack of access to EDI-skilled HR resource | 2% |
For organisations serious about EDI, accessing accurate information and insights is crucial. Businesses have a better chance of fostering a sense of belonging and making a positive difference in the workplace by listening to both employees and experts who can provide input on what really matters when it comes to EDI.
If you would like to know more about any of the diversity-related findings in this report or the EDI advice and support we can provide, please contact us today.
Salary and bonus trends for quants
Starting salaries for quant jobs in the UK have held up well over the last 12 months, despite a challenging backdrop for the broader economy and employment market overall.
On the buy side, ongoing demand for good analysts has led to firms continuing to offer generous remuneration for candidates with the right combination of skills and experience. Increasingly, we are also seeing quants regularly move from investment banks into hedge funds and systematic investment firms, attracted by stronger compensation potential, greater autonomy and closer alignment to investment performance.
Conversely, however, banks have struggled to retain their top talent, many of whom are receiving better offers from elsewhere. It comes at a time when banks are already cost-cutting, and it is not unusual to see redundancies at the senior level in order to free up budget to try to retain highly skilled, albeit more junior, quant professionals. The offshoring of quant hiring has also risen over the last year, as budgetary constraints deepen.
“Certain buy-side firms have an open chequebook for the right people, and they’ll pay what it takes to get them on board,” says Tamryn George, Lead Recruiter for Front Office Quants at Barclay Simpson.
“As a result, banks are being flexible on salaries in an attempt to hold on to their best employees, which is great news for desirable candidates who are in demand.”
Within US-based quant jobs specifically, a small number of buy-side firms are out-competing the rest of the market on salaries. Companies such as Citadel, Millennium Management and Point72 continue to hire aggressively and pay generous salaries to attract the best candidates.
These broader market conditions could explain why a fifth of organisations in our Employer Survey said candidates’ salary expectations are ‘not at all aligned’ with their budgets. Only 7% claim they are ‘very aligned’.
Are candidates’ salary expectations aligned with your budget?
For quant professionals planning to stay in their current role, base salary increases are likely to be more modest over the next 6–12 months. A large majority (84%) of employers say they will be raising employee salaries by either 1–4%, or not at all. Just 16% plan to offer 5% or more, and less than a quarter (23%) expect bonuses to be higher this year.
How much do you intend to increase base salaries for existing employees? (2026)
| Planned average salary increase | Percentage of employers |
|---|---|
| 0% | 14% |
| 1–4% | 70% |
| 5–10% | 11% |
| 11–15% | 3% |
| 16–20% | 2% |
Are you expecting employee bonuses to increase?
Career development becomes top priority
Each year, we also ask candidates to rank the reasons why they would consider looking for a new job in order of importance. Remuneration has traditionally come first in the list of priorities for many of the disciplines that we recruit for, but career development took the top spot this year.
Nearly six out of every ten (59%) respondents selected it as their first choice, with remuneration a distant second on 18%. A healthy work-life balance was the third most-cited motivator, chosen by 13% of candidates.
This is a notable reversal of the trends from last year’s Salary Survey, where two-thirds of quant professionals prioritised remuneration versus 25% for career development. Candidates who have been in their roles for some time may now be placing greater emphasis on progression rather than pay if they feel their progress has stalled.
Meanwhile, remote working is a priority for only a minority of candidates (5%), despite nearly half claiming they would consider moving jobs if they didn’t receive the hybrid working setup they desired.
What is your main priority when considering a new role?
59%
18%
13%
5%
5%
Quant salaries
The following tables provide an overview of current salary benchmarks for key roles across quant trading, analytics and research. Figures reflect average base salaries and total compensation for professionals across the UK and the US.
London sell-side salaries
Quant developer salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quant Developer | Analyst | £60k–£80k | £70k–£110k |
| Quant Developer | Associate | £75k–£100k | £90k–£140k |
| Quant Developer | VP | £100k–£140k | £130k–£210k |
| Quant Developer | Director | £140k–£190k | £200k–£323k |
| Quant Developer | Managing Director | £250k–£300k | £400k+ |
Desk quant / strats salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desk Quant / Strats | Analyst | £80k–£105k | £110k–£170k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | Associate | £95k–£130k | £135k–£200k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | VP | £130k–£180k | £195k–£315k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | Director | £180k–£240k | £325k–£525k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | MD | £250k–£350k | £500k+ |
Trader salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trader | Analyst | £100k–£140k | £150k–£265k |
| Trader | Associate | £100k–£140k | £150k–£265k |
| Trader | VP | £140k–£200k | £240k–£460k |
| Trader | Director | £200k–£270k | £400k–£750k |
| Trader | Managing Director | £250k–£400k | £600k+ |
New York sell-side salaries
Desk quant / strats salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desk Quant / Strats | Analyst | $150k–$175k | $250k–$270k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | Associate / AVP | $175k–$190k | $270k–$300k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | VP | $190k–$250k | $350k–$450k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | Director | $250k–$350k | $500k–$750k |
| Desk Quant / Strats | Managing Director | $350k–$500k | $750k–$1.2m |
Quantitative developer / engineering salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Analyst | $150k–$165k | $170k–$190k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Associate / AVP | $165k–$185k | $200k–$250k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | VP | $200k–$250k | $300k–$350k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Director / Lead | $250k–$400k | $450k–$650k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Managing Director | $450k–$500k | $700k–$1m |
Trader salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trader | Analyst | $120k–$130k | $170k–$180k |
| Trader | Associate / AVP | $150k–$175k | $200k–$250k |
| Trader | VP | $200k–$250k | $300k–$400k |
| Trader | Director | $300k–$350k | $400k–$550k |
| Trader | Managing Director | $450k–$500k | $1m+ |
London buy-side salaries
Quant developer salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quant Developer | Analyst | £70k–£95k | £85k–£140k |
| Quant Developer | Associate | £95k–£125k | £145k–£240k |
| Quant Developer | VP | £130k–£175k | £235k–£402k |
| Quant Developer | Director | £175k–£240k | £350k–£672k |
| Quant Developer | Managing Director | £250k–£350k | £700k+ |
Quant researcher salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quant Researcher | Associate | £90k–£130k | £150k–£250k |
| Quant Researcher | VP | £120k–£180k | £250k–£400k |
| Quant Researcher | Director | £170k–£250k | £450k–£700k |
| Quant Researcher | MD | £220k–£325k | £800k+ |
Trader salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trader | Junior | £150k–£220k | £270k–£506k |
| Trader | VP / Mid | £200k–£280k | £440k–£840k |
| Trader | Director | £240k–£320k | £600k–£1.12m |
| Trader | Head PM | £350k–£500k | £1m+ |
Quantitative and systematic portfolio manager salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | Junior PM / Sleeve | £150k–£200k | 5%–15% PnL cut |
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | PM / Full Risk | £180k–£250k | 10%–25% PnL cut |
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | Senior PM / Head | £200k–£250k | 15%–35% PnL cut |
New York buy-side salaries
Quantitative developer / engineering salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Analyst | $175k–$250k | $250k–$450k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Associate | $200k–$300k | $350k–$600k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | VP | $250k–$350k | $500k–$900k |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | Director | $300k–$450k | $650k–$1.2m |
| Quantitative Developer / Engineering | MD | $450k–$600k | $900k–$2m |
Quantitative researcher salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Researcher | Analyst / Associate | $150k–$250k | $300k–$550k |
| Quantitative Researcher | VP | $200k–$300k | $500k–$750k |
| Quantitative Researcher | Director | $300k–$400k | $600k–$1m |
| Quantitative Researcher | MD | $450k–$500k | $1m–$2m |
Quantitative trader salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Trader | Junior | $150k–$300k | $250k–$500k |
| Quantitative Trader | VP / Mid | $175k–$350k | $400k–$1m |
| Quantitative Trader | Director | $200k–$400k | $600k–$2m |
| Quantitative Trader | Head Trader | $250k–$500k | $1m–$10m |
Quantitative and systematic portfolio manager salaries
| Role category | Level | Base salary | Total compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | Junior PM / Sleeve | $200k–$230k | 5%–15% PnL cut |
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | PM / Full Risk | $200k–$300k | 10%–25% PnL cut |
| Portfolio Manager (Quant/Systematic) | Senior PM / Head | $350k–$500k | 15%–35% PnL cut |
Attract and retain the quantitative trading, analytics and research professionals you need with Barclay Simpson
Demand for highly skilled quant professionals has never been higher. Heightened competition and the growing sophistication of markets have put quant professionals on the front line of business success. Getting the right skills in place has made recruiting top quants a commercial imperative.
We can help you create a talent attraction strategy with competitive salary offerings to secure the best people. Alternatively, we can help you find a role that aligns with your skills and long-term career goals.
Arrange a consultation today to see how Barclay Simpson can support you as you build a quant trading, analytics and research team that’s market leading.
