Qantas Says 850 Corporate Roles Will Be Affected by Accenture Deal, With Work Moving Mostly to India

Qantas is moving a slice of its corporate operations to Accenture, and most of the work will be done in India.

CEO Vanessa Hudson told staff in an email on Tuesday, Nov. 10 Australian time, that around 850 roles will be affected "over the coming years," with the first changes in place by mid-2027. That is about 3% of Qantas' roughly 28,000-strong Australian workforce.

The first phase covers finance, procurement, people (HR) and marketing. Hudson wrote that some services will move to Accenture, "delivered mostly by its teams in India and some in Australia."

What the email says, and what it doesn't

Hudson's wording is "affected," not "cut." Some roles will move to Accenture, and the email does not break down how many of the 850 disappear and how many are transferred.

"Individual outcomes have not been determined," Hudson wrote. Qantas will consult affected employees and their union over the next few months.

Qantas has not disclosed what the Accenture contract is worth, what redundancy terms will apply, or which teams go first. Pilots and flight attendants are unlikely to be affected, according to AAP.

The deal is also meant to overhaul the airline's back-end systems, which Qantas describes as legacy technology, and to simplify duplicated corporate functions.

Hudson's case

Hudson framed the move as a response to AI. "The scale and speed of change in this space is unprecedented and unlike anything businesses have seen in generations," she said.

She also argued Qantas cannot do this alone. "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."

"I know this is hard news for some, and I'm sorry for the uncertainty it brings," she wrote. She added that the decision "is not a reflection of their contribution or commitment."

The union says it was told otherwise

The Australian Services Union is demanding answers. Assistant national secretary Scott Cowen said Qantas assured the union directly that offshoring was off the table.

"Earlier this year, Qantas told us directly there was no plan to offshore any jobs. Today, they've come out and told hundreds of staff members that their work will now be delivered mostly from people overseas," Cowen said. "Qantas staff have the right to an explanation."

Cowen also 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." He added that "sending more jobs overseas is not in the spirit of Australia."

When the plan, known internally as Project iQ, surfaced in August with reports of up to 1,000 back-office roles, Qantas told Capital Brief on Aug. 4 that "no formal agreement is in place and no decisions have been made." It pointed to a new Adelaide technology hub with more than 400 roles. The ASU said at the time that Qantas had assured it there was no plan to offshore Australian jobs.

The number has since landed below the August ceiling, and procurement has been added to the affected areas.

The money behind it

Qantas is profitable, but earnings are under pressure. In August it reported a 2025/26 net profit of $1.3 billion, down 19.8%. Underlying pre-tax profit fell 13.8% to $2.1 billion, even as revenue rose 7.1% to $25.5 billion.

Jet fuel is the main drag. Fuel costs tied to the Middle East conflict came in $610 million over budget and shaved $420 million off annual profit. The airline then cancelled a planned $150 million share buyback.

Qantas has also found another $200 million to cover a $3.8 billion fuel bill for the first half of the new financial year, and it has warned fares could rise again in 2027.

The airline is spending heavily elsewhere. It added 17 aircraft last financial year, expects up to 31 more in the year ahead, and plans to start retiring its A380s from 2028.

A wider wave in Australia

Qantas is not alone. NAB has flagged up to 2,500 job reductions, with up to 1,500 gone before the end of 2026 and the rest by mid-2027, and the bank expects about $300 million in pre-tax restructuring costs. Canva has flagged 1,200 roles. Together with Qantas, that is about 4,550 corporate jobs targeted in roughly a month.

Woolworths, Officeworks and Telstra have also announced offshoring moves this year, according to Hindustan Times.

The backdrop is soft. Australia's unemployment rate has reached its highest level in nearly five years, and living costs are elevated.

What comes next

Consultation with staff and the ASU is due to run over the next few months. What remains unclear is the split inside the 850 figure: how many Australians lose their jobs outright, how many are shifted to Accenture's Australian staff, and how many roles go offshore. Qantas has not answered that yet, and the union has asked for an explanation of the reversal on offshoring.