SeoulMarkets · data for licence
In every sector, the biggest companies pay more
9 of 9 sectors · leaders vs the rest
Split each sector into its market-cap leaders — the top fifth by size — and everyone else, and our labour data pulls apart. In all 8 classified sectors the leaders pay more, from 1.2x in technology to 1.43x in materials, and in most they keep their people longer too.
- What it is — for each sector, the median pay ratio of leaders to the rest, the tenure gap in years, and the female-officer share on each side.
- Why trust it — pay, tenure and gender are from each company's own filing; leaders are ranked by market cap from the exchange close.
- How big — 9 sectors; leaders are the top fifth by market cap, at least three companies.
- The honest caveat — a residual "unclassified" bucket (holding companies and the like) is set aside; medians, not means, so one giant does not swing a row.
- The form — one CSV: sector · companies · leaders · leader & rest pay · pay ratio · tenure gap · female share each side.
① Leaders vs the rest, by sector
Ranked by pay ratio. Positive tenure gaps mean leaders keep people longer; the women columns show the opposite pattern in the heavy sectors.
| Sector | Cos. | Leaders | Pay × | Tenure gap | Women: lead / rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | 391 | 78 | 1.43x | +2.3y | 12.3% / 13.1% |
| Industrials | 625 | 125 | 1.41x | +1.7y | 12.2% / 14% |
| Financials | 229 | 46 | 1.35x | +1y | 29.2% / 35.9% |
| Communication Services | 310 | 62 | 1.35x | +0.8y | 36% / 34.4% |
| Consumer Staples | 95 | 19 | 1.34x | +3.9y | 32.6% / 33.6% |
| Consumer Discretionary | 384 | 77 | 1.26x | +2.8y | 32.9% / 29.3% |
| Health Care | 376 | 75 | 1.25x | 0y | 41.5% / 39.3% |
| Information Technology | 360 | 72 | 1.2x | +0.1y | 19.5% / 22% |
The pay premium is everywhere; the tenure premium is largest in consumer staples (3.9y) and consumer discretionary. But in materials, industrials, finance and technology the leaders employ fewer women at officer level than the smaller firms below them — size buys pay and tenure, not a more mixed top.
② What you get
| Files | One CSV — sector · companies · number of leaders · leader and rest median pay · pay ratio · tenure gap (years) · female-officer share on each side. | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is a leader | The top 20% of a sector's listed companies by market capitalisation (at least three). A transparent split by size, refreshed with the close — not a judgement of quality. | |
| The residual | Companies whose industry code does not map to a sector (many are holding companies) sit in an "unclassified" bucket, shown in the file but kept out of the sector rows. | |
| Not advice | A description of how large companies pay and retain, not a recommendation. Whether leaders outperform as investments is not in this data. | |
| Source | Company filings (pay, tenure, officers) joined to exchange market cap and our public-KSIC sector scheme. | |
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Leaders = top 20% by market cap (a size split, not a pick) · Medians from company filings · Not investment advice. Browse all SeoulMarkets datasets. See our terms of use and refund policy.