Content moderation is an important job that involves reviewing user-generated content on social media platforms and websites to ensure it adheres to community guidelines. Companies like Accenture hire content moderators to work as contractors for major tech firms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The job typically involves long hours of viewing graphic and disturbing content like violence, hate speech, and pornography.
Given the challenging nature of content moderation, there is understandably significant interest in how much these workers are compensated. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the typical salary and benefits earned by content moderators working for Accenture Philippines.
Typical Salary for Content Moderators in the Philippines
Based on available data, content moderators working for Accenture in the Philippines typically earn between 15,000 to 25,000 pesos ($300 to $500) per month. The average monthly salary is estimated to be around PHP 18,000 ($350).
The pay is modest compared to IT and call center jobs in the country. However, it is still above the minimum wage in the Philippines, which ranges from PHP 537 to PHP 1,200 per day depending on the region. The salary allows moderators to earn a living wage, although the difficult nature of the job makes it challenging long-term work.
The exact salary can vary based on:
- Experience level – veteran moderators may earn towards the higher end
- Language – fluency in in-demand languages like German and Arabic is paid more
- Location – moderators in major cities earn slightly more
- Client demands – base pay can fluctuate depending on the urgency and priorities of tech clients
Benefits for Content Moderators in the Philippines
In addition to the base salary, content moderators with Accenture Philippines receive certain benefits:
- Health insurance – Basic health insurance is provided, covering regular checkups and minor medical expenses. However, the insurance may not be adequate for mental health services.
- Paid leave – Employees get 5 paid sick leaves and 10 paid vacation leaves per year. This allows some respite from the daily stress of content moderation.
- Night differential pay – 25% extra pay for graveyard shift work.
- Overtime pay – Some overtime on top of the 8 hour shifts.
- Productivity bonus – Small monthly bonus for meeting accuracy and productivity metrics
However, the job does not provide benefits like retirement savings plans or educational stipends that are common in tech companies. The limited benefits reflect the outsourced contractor status of the moderators.
How Salary Compares to Content Moderation Globally
The average salary for content moderators in the Philippines is low compared to other countries:
| Country | Average Monthly Salary |
|---|---|
| USA | $3,000 – $6,000 |
| UK | £20,000 ($25,000 annually) |
| Germany | €25,000 ($28,000 annually) |
| Philippines | PHP 18,000 ($350) |
The vastly lower salary in the Philippines is tied to the lower costs of living and wages. Moderation is outsourced to regions like the Philippines and India to save on labor costs. However, the salary disparity has also led to ethical concerns over the compensation for this difficult work.
High Turnover and Burnout
The relatively low pay and demanding stress of content moderation leads to high turnover and burnout. On average, moderators only stay in the role between 6 to 12 months before quitting.
The turnover is costly for firms like Accenture, which has to continually recruit and train new moderators. They are exploring ways to improve moderator mental health, such as providing exercise breaks or meditation classes. However, the high stress nature of the job makes it an inherently difficult long-term career choice.
Demand for Content Moderators in the Philippines
Despite the low pay and difficult nature of the job, there is increasing demand for content moderators, especially in the Philippines. According to reports, the country has over 100,000 moderators working today.
The key factors driving demand are:
- Growth of social media – With platforms like Facebook and TikTok continuing to grow, more moderation is needed to police content.
- Emerging technologies – New technologies like livestreams require more real-time oversight by moderators.
- Regulatory pressure – Governments are pressuring tech firms to improve content moderation, particularly for misinformation.
- Outsourcing labor cost savings – Continued incentive to maintain low-cost labor pools in regions like the Philippines.
Given these trends, demand for content moderators in the country will remain strong. The major tech firms show no signs of bringing the function in-house or moving to automation. This will provide employment opportunities even if the pay remains low by global standards.
Is Content Moderation a Viable Long-Term Career?
For most workers in the Philippines, content moderation is seen as short-term contracted employment rather than a lifelong career. The combination of low pay, lack of benefits, and high stress usually leads to burnout and exit from the role within a year or two.
However, some moderators may remain in the field longer for the following reasons:
- Limited alternative job options – Due to economic constraints.
- Gaining expertise – Some may specialize and move to training or quality assurance roles.
- Personal resilience – A minority are able to develop coping mechanisms to handle the stress.
- Higher pay – Veteran moderators may get pay boosts making it more worthwhile.
Overall though, the nature of the job makes it unsustainable for most people long-term. The majority will transition to other types of employment given the opportunity. But the availability of alternative jobs also varies greatly depending on economic conditions.
Automation and the Future of Content Moderation
Given the challenges of human content moderation, there is rising interest in using automation such as artificial intelligence to take over the function. AI has made strides in moderating certain basic content like nudity and graphic violence.
However, current AI technology still cannot match humans in detecting the nuances in toxic content like hate speech, harassment, and misinformation. Human moderators will still be critical for the foreseeable future.
As technology improves, automation will likely displace jobs, allowing companies to moderate content at even lower cost. This may gradually reduce employment opportunities in the content moderation field over the long-term.
But for now, tech firms still depend on large outsourced workforces doing manual moderation, especially in lower-cost regions like the Philippines. Demand remains strong for human moderators, even if the job involves low pay and high stress.
Conclusion
Content moderation provides vital employment in the Philippines but the difficult nature of the job makes it challenging as a long-term career. Workers can expect an average salary of PHP 18,000 ($350) per month plus limited benefits like health insurance and paid leave.
While this allows a modest living, it is still extremely low pay compared to Western countries. This differential and the lack of career progression usually lead to high turnover.
However, continued growth in user-generated content ensures ongoing demand for large outsourced workforces in low-cost regions. This drives the need for content moderators in the Philippines despite the low salary and high stress involved. Automation may eventually displace jobs but human moderators remain critical for the nuanced judgment required in moderation.