Qantas Cut 850 Australian Jobs, Shifting Work to India via Accenture
Qantas said on Tuesday it will cut about 850 Australian jobs in finance, procurement, HR and marketing under a multi-year AI and technology deal with Accenture. Some work moves to India, and unions say the airline broke earlier assurances.
Qantas will cut about 850 Australian jobs and shift some back-office work offshore under a multi-year agreement with the professional services firm Accenture, the airline said on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The deal aims to modernize its systems, processes and data while stepping up investment in technology and artificial intelligence.
The first phase hits finance, procurement, human resources and marketing roles. Some services will move to Accenture's large India-based team, while some stay in Australia. Qantas has about 32,000 employees, according to its most recent annual report.
What Qantas says is changing
Chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the airline would consult affected staff and unions before final decisions. The first changes are due to take effect by midway through next year.
The overhaul covers more than 1,000 back-office systems. Qantas wants to simplify corporate operations, reduce duplication and lower costs.
"I know this is hard news for some, and I'm sorry for the uncertainty it brings," Hudson said. She said individual outcomes had not yet been determined.
She also defended the use of a partner. "Reinvention at this scale is not possible to do on our own, and through a partner we can access the data and AI skills that every industry in the world is competing for, because we cannot hire at the pace this work needs," Hudson said.
The program is known internally as Project iQ. It had previously been reported as potentially involving the offshoring of up to 1,000 Australian roles.
Union pushback
The Australian Services Union said Qantas must explain itself. The airline had earlier promised it had no plans to move jobs offshore, the union said.
"AI is having a huge impact on workers across the country, but the cost of technology change should not be borne by the workers who have kept the airline running for years," assistant national secretary Scott Cowen said. "Sending more jobs overseas is not in the spirit of Australia."
The union is continuing consultations with the airline.
Third big layoff plan in three weeks
Qantas is the third major Australian employer to flag large corporate cuts in three weeks, after the design company Canva and National Australia Bank. NAB is targeting 2,500 roles and Canva 1,200. With Qantas's 850, about 4,550 corporate jobs have been targeted for cuts, relocations or restructuring in the past month.
The timing is hard for workers. Living costs are surging, and the unemployment rate has reached its highest level in nearly five years.
Qantas is also dealing with higher jet fuel prices tied to the conflict in the Middle East. Ticket sales to new customers who switched after cancelling flights with Middle East stopovers have partly offset those costs.
In a market update late last week, Qantas said customer demand was proving resilient. It said it would keep adjusting fares and capacity in response to fuel costs.
"The scale and speed of change in this space is unprecedented and unlike anything businesses have seen in generations," Hudson said.
