Qantas will cut 850 jobs in Australia and outsource parts of its corporate operations to consulting firm Accenture, the airline said on Tuesday, as it adapts to the growing use of artificial intelligence across the industry.
The first phase of the cuts will hit finance, procurement, human resources and marketing staff. Some of the affected roles will move to Accenture, with the work carried out by teams based mostly in India. The jobs will go over the coming years, with the first round taking effect by mid-2027.
Chief executive Vanessa Hudson told staff in an email that the changes were hard news for those affected. “I know this is hard news for some, and I’m sorry for the uncertainty it brings,” she wrote, announcing a new multi-year partnership with Accenture.
The 850 roles represent around 3 per cent of Qantas’s Australian workforce of 28,000. The airline, Australia’s flag carrier, said the move was a response to rapid change in the industry driven by AI.
“The scale and speed of change in technology and AI is something none of us has seen in our lifetime,” Hudson said. “Standing still is not an option for us.”
She said the partnership would help Qantas “redesign and simplify parts of how our corporate functions work and reduce duplication”.
Qantas is the latest in a growing line of big Australian employers to move work offshore in a bid to cut costs and lift efficiency. Woolworths, Officeworks, Telstra and National Australia Bank have all announced similar moves this year.
The announcement comes as Australian households grow gloomier about the economy. A closely watched survey published on Tuesday showed consumer sentiment at its lowest in four years, with rising interest rates adding to cost-of-living pressures.
Sources: Reuters — “Australia’s Qantas to axe 850 jobs in offshoring deal with Accenture” (https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/australias-qantas-axe-850-jobs-offshoring-deal-with-accenture-2026-11-10/)
