Does Morgan Stanley pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Morgan Stanley employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Morgan Stanley. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Morgan Stanley?

76% of Morgan Stanley employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Morgan Stanley 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Morgan Stanley?

Associate (1441) , Vice President (1144) , Analyst (1046) , Manager (504) , Intern (472) , Director (464) , Financial Advisor (422) , Executive Director (406) , Senior Manager (403) , Senior Associate (340) , Software Engineer (332) , Operations Analyst (289) , Client Service Associate (271) , Software Developer (249) , Summer Analyst (226)

What are the pros of working at Morgan Stanley according to real employee reviews?

"Good culture and very collegiate" ((in 2175 reviews)); "Morgan Stanley employs some great people that are excellent to have in your personal network." ((in 1920 reviews)); "Work life balance is good but ebbs and flows with the times and profit margins." ((in 1143 reviews)); "Benefits are good and usually very competitive with the market" ((in 1131 reviews)); "Pay is good and they provide accommodation which is very close to the office building" ((in 821 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Morgan Stanley according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and requires you to be glued to your desk for most of the day" ((in 772 reviews)); "Long and late working hours" ((in 382 reviews)); "Most of the managers don't even know how to work the system to do the job." ((in 304 reviews)); "Low compensation compared to GS and JPM" ((in 228 reviews)); "Middle management and some senior management out of their depth and often made up of staff promoted beyond their capability." ((in 127 reviews))

What are employees saying about Morgan Stanley layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Morgan Stanley layoffs and their outlook for job security at Morgan Stanley in 2026.

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Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley reviews

3.9

76% would recommend to a friend

(19,820 total reviews)

Ted Pick

80% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Culture & values

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Senior management

Morgan Stanley has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 19,820 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Morgan Stanley employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Finance industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

20K reviews

5.0

Jun 11, 2026

Great culture, but flat structure limits promotions

Vice president

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture and employee centric

Cons

Flat organization structure can be hindrance for promotion Getting employee to feel stagnates after a few years

2.0

Jun 10, 2026

Decent pay and benefits, but poor management

Client relationship manager (csm)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits, pay is decent

Cons

Management sucks! Most of the managers don't even know how to work the system to do the job. They aren't very helpful and play favorites.

1.0

Jun 10, 2026

Capable team, but politics and lack of recognition wear you down

Senior associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Gutter Politics. Cons (5-word min) Strong brand name on the CV, capable colleagues at the working level, and exposure to large-scale processes. Compensation was competitive for the market.

Cons

Recognition rarely tracked actual contribution — visibility and internal relationships mattered more than the work itself. Project and work allocation often felt arbitrary rather than merit-based. Raising concerns or pushing back was not well received, and people who spoke up tended to find it counted against them rather than for them. For a function that's meant to provide independent challenge, there was less room to actually do that than you'd expect.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 19,820 Reviews

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Jobs at Morgan Stanley

Administrative Assistant

Intern - Bilingual English/Spanish