Moneymax published a report in 2019 revealing the top 10 highest-paying jobs in the Philippines, in which a BPO Customer Service Representative takes the 9th spot. With a starting salary of over ₱20,000, it’s indeed not bad for a fresh graduate. It’s also widespread among the Filipino working class that BPO companies give higher compensations compared to companies of other industries.
That said, let’s take a look at more in-depth data about Australian BPO companies in the Philippines.
Statistical Data on Employment
More than 1 million Filipinos are employed in BPO companies. BPO jobs are actually the most in-demand in the country, with the industry contributing a 14% increase in job openings, as per JobStreet.
In 2014 alone, it was revealed that the BPO industry had created a total of 525,867 job posts. By 2022, BPO industry officials are anticipating nearly 700,000 more career opportunities for medium- to high-skill posts.
Types of BPO Services in The Philippines
It’s a common misconception that BPO employees only comprise of call center agents, but there are also team leads, ITs, HR, etc. The notion may have come from call center services being the most popular type of BPO service in the country. Below is a breakdown of different BPO types:
- Call center services specialize in both voice and non-voice services for sales, tech support, telemarketing, lead generation, and market intelligence.
- Data entry services refer to documentation tasks, data capture and compilation, database creation, and updating of online catalogs.
- Human resources services focus on employee recruitment, training, management, compensation, and tax computations.
- Information technology services offer jobs in IT support, software development, network and server administration, and data center management.
- Financial and accounting services work on taxes, financial analysis, bookkeeping, and other finance-related technicalities.
- Procurement services manage a company’s transactions with their suppliers.
BPO Employees’ Compensations
The 2014 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) had revealed the figures of the compensations received by BPO employees that year. On average, BPO employees had earned $7,605 yearly, which is roughly ₱384,000 (if converted at present). To break that down, employees in the software publishing sector were shown to earn $22,788, which is over ₱1 million. Workers in finance and accounting services had earned $15,724, which is close to ₱800,000.
Administrative support employees were able to earn $12,592 or approximately ₱637,000, and the lowest earnings are of those in the documentation, with only $4,033 or ₱200,000 on an estimate. Note that all figures are annual earnings.
For specific posts, such as Customer Service Representatives, the 2014 survey disclosed the range of their earnings to be $3,000 – $7,000, which are about 150,000 – 350,000 in Philippine Peso as of today. Operations Managers had meanwhile earned $2,000 – $8,500 or roughly ₱100,000 – ₱430,000 yearly. JobStreet revealed in 2017 that entry-level BPO employees in the IT-sector were receiving a monthly salary of $703 or around ₱35,500.
Besides those 6-digit yearly earnings, BPO companies are also known to offer enticing benefits, such as health cards, vacation and sick leaves, exceptional bonuses, and more. Considering all of these, it’s safe to assume that BPO employees really do earn a lot.
On top of that, BPO companies accept graduates of any degree to be CSRs, as long as their command of the English language is strong and if they have impressive interpersonal skills. Of course, they should also be willing to work night shifts and on some weekends and holidays.
