With the most contentious bonus season in years coming to a close, 79 percent of Wall Street professionals received a year-end payout according to a recent survey by eFinancialCareers, the career site for finance professionals. That number easily surpasses the 66 percent who expected a year-end bonus when a comparable group was polled in October.

For those respondents receiving a bonus, it's fairly evenly split between those who took home the same or more than the previous year (46%) and those who took home less (54%). The upside payouts most frequently rose less than 10 percent year-over-year, while the downside payments were typically reduced between 31 percent and 50 percent.

"Following one of the most tumultuous years in financial history, smart people who did good work deserve to be recognized," said John Benson, founder & CEO of eFinancialCareers. "The future of the financial services industry may be opaque, but the industry has a vital role to play in the global economy - and that requires talent."

The payouts only satisfied 26 percent of finance professionals who responded, while 46 percent are at a minimum dissatisfied with their bonus. Of that displeased group, nearly nine out of 10 (89%) are financial professionals with five years experience or less on Wall Street. For this particular pool of talent, this bonus season is likely the first where the bulk of their compensation was challenged.

A majority of respondents (54%) expect to be job hunting in 2009, with another quarter on the fence in the "maybe" category. When asked to describe their current situation, 39 percent of Wall Street professionals are open to a better opportunity, while 20 percent are unhappy in their current role and 10 percent are concerned that their jobs may be eliminated.