In 2024, the share of Web3 employees receiving salaries in cryptocurrency tripled. The majority of such payments are made in stablecoins USDC and USDT.
According to a report by Pantera Capital, one in ten employees in the Web3 industry received their salary in digital assets in 2024. In 2023, only 3% of employees were paid in digital assets, while in 2024, this figure grew to 9.6%.
The report attributes the rise in crypto salary payments to several factors:
- expanding infrastructure;
- growing trust in stable digital assets;
- availability of employer-friendly solutions.
The survey also showed that over 91% of crypto salary payments are made in USDC and USDT. ETH and SOL are used less frequently for salary purposes.
Interestingly, most payments in 2024 were made in USDC, which accounted for 63% of all crypto salary transactions. USDT was used in only 28.6% of cases. Analysts believe one reason for USDC’s dominance is that major global payroll platforms don’t support payments in USDT.
This growing trend of digital payroll coincides with a structural shift in employment formats. In 2024, 82% of Web3 industry employees worked fully remotely. Analysts attribute this to the global distribution of teams and the inherently digital nature of the industry.
Pantera Capital’s data is based on a survey of more than 1,600 professionals from 77 countries working in Web3 companies and crypto startups.
The report also noted an increase in fiat salaries. Technical roles were the main category showing steady growth. In 2024, entry-level salaries rose by an average of 25.6%, while mid- and senior-level professionals earned 14.5% and 4.9% more, respectively. Analysts noted that women in the crypto industry earn more on average than men.
Brazilian authorities are preparing a bill that would allow employers to pay part of salaries in virtual assets.
