Qantas said on Tuesday it would cut 850 jobs in Australia and outsource some corporate functions to Accenture as it adapts to the increased use of artificial intelligence in the airline industry, Reuters reported. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson told staff the jobs would be cut over the coming years, with the first round by mid 2027, affecting about 3 percent of the airline’s Australian workforce of 28,000.
The first phase covers finance, procurement, human resources and marketing staff. Some roles will shift to Accenture and be performed by teams mostly based in India, and the partnership is meant to overhaul legacy systems and simplify corporate functions. The Australian Services Union said Qantas had earlier assured staff there was no plan to offshore jobs under the Accenture deal; a Qantas spokesperson denied giving that assurance.