Private Equity and Pay Gaps Inside the Firm

Abstract

Using two decades of French administrative data, we find that post-leveraged buyout (LBO), target firms reduce within-firm pay gaps while increasing profitability relative to control firms. Employee turnover drives the pay-gap reduction. In target and control firms alike, turnovers reduce average pay more at the top of the wage distribution than at the bottom because separated employees are paid more—new joiners less—than similar employees, especially among skilled employees. LBOs amplify this effect through increased turnover among managers. Post-buyout, p90/p10, gender, age, and managers/non-managers pay gaps decline by 3%, 9%, 21%, and 4% and the employee pool becomes younger.