Executive bonuses bounce back

by JOANN S. LUBLIN

CEO bonuses at 50 major corporations jumped a median of 30.5%, the biggest gain in at least three years, according to a study of the first batch of corporate CEO pay disclosures by consulting firm Hay Group for The Wall Street Journal.

Top executives collect a lot of different types of pay, including salaries, long-term equity awards and bonuses tied to corporate performance. Bonuses in general are rebounding as some hard-hit industries like autos recover and corporate profits climb.

Hay Group reviewed proxy statements filed since Oct. 1 by companies with at least $4 billion in annual revenue. The 50 CEOs in the sample collected a total of $126.1 million in 2010 bonuses, up from about $83 million a year earlier.

Big winners included the chiefs of Starbucks Corp., Jabil Circuit Inc. and Clorox Co.

The Wall Street Journal for more

via Psyche, Science, and Society