Qantas to cut 850 Australian jobs as work shifts to India

Qantas has signed an outsourcing agreement with Accenture that will cut 850 jobs in Australia, with most affected roles moving to India. The work involves corporate functions, according to Technology.

The announcement follows earlier staff reductions at the airline's head office in Mascot, Sydney, Sydney Morning Herald reported. The supplied coverage does not give a figure for those earlier cuts.

On November 9, Sydney Morning Herald reported that Qantas had signed the Accenture deal and would cut 850 local jobs as it shifted roles to India.

Coverage on November 10 added detail about the scope. BBC World reported that most roles would move to India and that Qantas described the move as part of modernising its IT systems, while also pointing to the impact of AI.

The agreement spans multiple years and is intended to improve operational efficiency as well as expand AI use, according to NDTV News - World-news News.

Also on November 10, Sydney Morning Herald reported that the local job cuts could happen as soon as the middle of next year.

These are announced cuts, not a report that 850 employees have already left. The coverage describes an outsourcing plan under an agreement already signed with Accenture.

The distinction between jobs cut in Australia and work moved to India matters. BBC World reported that most affected roles would move to India, not all of them. The supplied reports do not identify the destination of the remaining work.

The next details to watch are which corporate teams will be affected, how the 850 cuts will be phased and where the remaining outsourced work will go. The earliest reported timing is the middle of next year, according to Sydney Morning Herald, but the supplied coverage gives no detailed implementation schedule.