Qantas to cut 850 Australian corporate jobs in an Accenture deal tied to AI and automation
CEO Vanessa Hudson told staff the first phase, starting mid-2027, moves finance, procurement, people and marketing work to Accenture, mostly in India; individual outcomes have not been decided.
Why it matters
Qantas is the third large Australian employer in three weeks to announce cuts linked to technology change, after Canva and National Australia Bank, according to The Guardian. The airline frames the deal as replacing more than 1,000 legacy applications, with the outsourced work later transformed with automation and AI. The Australian Services Union disputes past assurances about offshoring and wants consultation and retraining. Watch how many roles stay in Australia and whether other large employers follow the same outsourcing-plus-AI model.
Key facts
- 850 Australian corporate roles affected
- Multi-year agreement with Accenture
- First phase: finance, procurement, people and marketing
- Work delivered mostly by Accenture teams in India
- Changes start mid-2027
- Qantas spends more than AU$1bn a year on technology