Qantas to Cut 850 Corporate Jobs in Accenture Outsourcing Deal
Qantas will cut 850 positions and move some corporate work to Accenture teams in India, chief executive Vanessa Hudson told staff on November 10, 2026. The Australian Services Union called the news shocking, and Qantas shares rose more than 6 per cent.
Qantas sends corporate roles overseas under a new outsourcing deal with tech firm Accenture, cutting 850 positions, Group CEO Vanessa Hudson told staff in an all-staff email on November 10, 2026.
The airline said hundreds of roles would go "over coming years, with the first changes expected to be in place by mid-2027". Some work will be done by Accenture staff in India, with some remaining in Australia.
Qantas shares rose more than 6 per cent after the news.
The first phase will hit teams in finance, procurement and marketing, according to the email. A report also lists human resources. Qantas said it would try to redeploy as many people as possible.
Hudson called it "hard news for some". She said the airline runs on technology built up over decades, including more than 1,000 legacy applications "that were never designed to work together".
"It will allow us to unlock innovation faster and accelerate our use of AI, with lasting benefits," she said.
The Australian Services Union (ASU) was meeting its Qantas members on Tuesday. ASU Assistant National Secretary Scott Cowen said the union had worked with Qantas for months after first hearing of the proposed deal.
"We were told at the time that there was no plan for 1,000 jobs to be offshored and yet today staff have been told by Vanessa Hudson that up to 850 jobs could be sent offshore," he said. "So this is really shocking news for our members."
Cowen said most of the cuts would affect jobs based in Sydney. He said he feared other companies would follow without regulation, and argued that firms which received taxpayer-funded subsidies owed a social obligation to their workforce.
NSW and ACT ASU secretary Angus McFarland said: "This is skills offshore at our national airline and if they can get away with it, well, anyone can."
Part of a wider trend
Telstra announced a $700 million joint venture with Accenture last year, with plans to cut 209 jobs revealed earlier this year. Coles is reported to have up to 1,000 jobs moved offshore after partnering with the firm. Woolworths, Canva, NAB and ANZ have also signaled offshore growth alongside domestic cuts.
Several unions want safeguards ensuring AI rollouts come with consultation, training and worker protections.
Fuel costs and profit
Last Friday, Qantas Group said cuts to 4 per cent of Qantas and Jetstar flights were on the horizon. It said it could "adjust fares and capacity in response to higher fuel costs".
The airline reported a 2025/26 net profit of $1.3 billion in August, down 19.8 per cent on the previous year. It cancelled a planned $150 million share buyback.
High jet fuel costs, driven by the Middle East conflict, shaved $420 million off annual profit after the bill came in $610 million over budget.
"Once a job is lost and sent offshore, it's going to be very hard to get back," Cowen said.
