CEO pay surges while workers go backward

Australia’s top 100 CEOs enjoyed a pay rise of nearly 13% in 2016-17, new data shows, over seven times the 1.8% wages growth of private sector workers that year. CEO pay growth was over 10% above inflation, while private sector workers went backwards by 0.1% compared to CPI.

The CEO pay data has been compiled by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors and shows “realised pay” — which includes the realisation of gains from share options and other bonuses — and “reported pay”, which takes out the impact of share price movements that can artificially inflate or reduce the value of shares. Median reported pay for the CEOs of the top 100 ASX companies increased from $4,196,435 to $4,728,890, or 12.7%; average reported pay increased from $5,164,722 to $5,544,284, or 7.3%. Things were even better for CEOs of ASX 100-200 companies, who enjoyed increases on average of 22%.

Things weren’t as good for the top 10 CEOs, whose realised pay average just under $14 million, but who pay didn’t increase at all in average terms, despite big rises for Nicholas Moore of Macquarie and Louis Gries of James Hardy.

Over the five year period to 2017, top 100 CEO reported median pay growth was less spectacular, at 3.5% a year — which is still well ahead of private sector workers, who made do with 2.4% on average over that period. CEOs of ASX 100-200 companies had an average reported median pay growth of 3.3%.