Hefty pay of IITians comes with strings attached

“The fixed-to-other component ratio was 70:30 before the pandemic, and now it is 60:40, and in some sectors, it has become 50:50,” said Anshuman Das, chief executive and co-founder of Careernet, a talent solutions provider that also studies campus recruitment trends.

Das said there were consulting firms whose ₹40 lakh salary for a domestic profile had a bonus component as high as 50%. “Retention or loyalty bonuses, too, are stretched over 4-5 years. This is not a euphoric year, and IIT campuses have seen a marginal uptick in overall salaries,” he said.

While HFTs and quant firms were the top recruiters remuneration-wise, the internet behemoths held back on hiring this year. An HFT like Quantbox Research, for instance, offered a salary of ₹1.3-1.4 crore for domestic postings and ₹1.6-2.4 crore for global placements, but both profiles included a bonus of ₹80 lakh.

“The companies which are listed and have stock options—it is easier to understand what their valuation might be. However, many of the startups are unlisted, and although the salaries are high, it becomes difficult to estimate what their growth prospects are,” said a placement member at another IIT.

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