Data labelers earn A$6/day while specialists get A$800/hr
New field research on AI data workers in China and Australia exposes a two-tier global labour market: specialist PhD-level workers earning up to A$800 an hour, while most labelers doing general tasks earn A$6 a day or less. For HR leaders, this is a wake-up call about contingent workforces, ethical sourcing and the real economics behind the AI job boom.