Australian airline Qantas plans to eliminate around 850 jobs and outsource several corporate functions to consulting firm Accenture, with most of the work expected to move to teams in India. The proposed cuts will affect approximately 3 per cent of the airline’s Australian workforce.
The restructuring is part of a multi-year partnership with Accenture aimed at modernising Qantas’ internal systems, improving operational efficiency and expanding its use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The first phase will affect employees working in finance, procurement, human resources and marketing. Some responsibilities currently handled by these teams will be transferred to Accenture, with most of the outsourced work expected to be carried out in India and some in Australia.
The changes will be implemented over several years, with the initial phase expected to begin by mid-2027. Vanessa Hudson, CEO, Qantas has said the airline will consult affected employees and unions before finalising the changes.
Hudson has also indicated that the company will explore opportunities to retain employees through retraining, reskilling and redeployment to other roles. The airline has acknowledged the uncertainty the restructuring could create for its workforce, while maintaining that the proposed changes are not a reflection of employees’ contributions.
The outsourcing plan has drawn criticism from the Australian Services Union, which has raised concerns about jobs and skills being transferred overseas.
Qantas currently operates more than 1,000 legacy applications that were not designed to work together. The Accenture partnership is intended to simplify this technology infrastructure and support the adoption of AI-driven systems.
The announcement comes amid a series of workforce restructuring exercises across Australia’s corporate sector, following similar moves by design platform Canva and National Australia Bank (NAB).
