What’s new?

Benchmarks version 2023-23-02

What changes can I expect from these benchmarks?

We have updated salary, total cash, and equity benchmarks for all job areas and specializations. 

Salary and total cash compensation benchmark changes in this release reflect a slowing market for talent among startups, falling slightly since last quarter (approximately 1% overall). As in previous updates, specialization level data continues to be more volatile than the broader sample, as sample sizes for these roles are smaller than job area level data. For example, while Web Engineering and Quality Assurance saw large increases last quarter, this quarter’s data shows decreases in those benchmarks. 

Equity benchmarks have decreased approximately 15%, consistent with the decreases that began last quarter as a result of the slowing market. Lower benchmarks cut across most roles and levels, though executive equity grants (particularly at early to mid-stage companies) dropped slightly less, and even increased in some cases. 

What were the largest areas of movement from these benchmarks?

Salary - Product, Support, and Operations roles saw the largest increases, approximately 1-2% versus last quarter. Sales, Administrative, and Information Technology roles saw the largest decreases ranging from 3-5%.

Equity - Legal, Support, and Human Resources roles saw the largest decreases. Decreases in Engineering, IT, Finance, and Operations were less pronounced than the overall sample

How do I update my plan to use the new benchmarks version?

You can update your compensation plan to use the latest benchmark versions either by:

1. Visiting the Plan page and clicking on the "Update available" link in the Active Plan window.
   

1. Navigating to the Bands page and clicking on the "Update" bubble in the top left.
   
   
   

You will have the opportunity to preview the new plan with the updated benchmarks version and assess their impact on your Scorecard before accepting the new plan.

What’s next?

Carta Total Compensation is working to bring International market targets to the Employee and Company Scorecards, as well as developing benchmarks for new specializations.