Qantas has announced it will cut 850 corporate jobs in Australia and hand much of the work to consulting firm Accenture, whose teams in India will take over most of it. Staff were told the news in an email from chief executive Vanessa Hudson on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. Here is what is happening, which roles are affected, and what it means for staff and travellers. Qantas says the move is about modernising its back-office systems and investing more in technology and artificial intelligence.
Quick answer
Qantas is cutting 850 corporate jobs in Australia under a multi-year deal with Accenture. The first roles to go are in finance, procurement, human resources and marketing, with the first changes expected by mid-2027. Most of the work will be done by Accenture teams in India, although some roles will stay in Australia. Pilots, cabin crew and airport staff are not affected.
The key facts at a glance
| Jobs cut | 850 corporate roles in Australia |
| Announced | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 |
| Partner | Accenture, under a multi-year deal |
| Where the work goes | Mostly Accenture teams in India; some stays in Australia |
| Roles affected first | Finance, procurement, human resources, marketing |
| Timeline | First changes by mid-2027; cuts roll out over the coming years |
| Share of workforce | About 3% of Qantas’ 28,000 Australian employees |
| Frontline staff | Pilots, cabin crew and airport staff not affected |
Which roles are affected?
The cuts hit head office, not the front line. The first phase covers four corporate teams:
- Finance — accounting and back-office finance roles
- Procurement — buying and supplier management
- Human resources — people and HR support roles
- Marketing — corporate marketing roles
Qantas says around 850 roles will be affected over the coming years, but it has not yet decided exactly which individual positions will go, or how the changes will affect each employee. That detail comes after consultation with staff and unions.
The job losses will hit Qantas’ Sydney headquarters hardest, according to the Australian Services Union.
Why is Qantas cutting jobs?
Qantas says the deal is about modernising the technology behind the business. Under the Accenture agreement, the airline will redesign and simplify its corporate functions, and the work Accenture takes over will be further transformed over time through automation and artificial intelligence.
Chief executive Vanessa Hudson told staff the changes were hard news, but that the airline could not stand still. “Leading organisations around the world are well progressed in using technology and AI to completely transform how they work, and standing still is not an option,” she wrote.
Costs are also part of the picture. Qantas reported a 2025/26 net profit of $1.3 billion, down 19.8 per cent on the previous year, after high fuel costs shaved $420 million off its profit. The airline cancelled a planned $150 million share buyback, and has warned fares could rise again in 2027 as it faces a $3.8 billion fuel bill for the first half of the new financial year.
What happens to affected staff?
Qantas says it will consult affected employees and their unions before any final decisions are made. Staff whose roles are cut will be considered for redeployment where possible, including in new roles in Australia, with retraining and reskilling support.
The airline also points out that it has created more than 4,400 operational roles in Australia since 2023, and says it will keep investing in its people. It has not said how many of the 850 roles will end in redundancy, and it has not given a savings figure or the value of the Accenture contract.
What the union says
The Australian Services Union, which represents many of Qantas’ white-collar workers, has condemned the plan. Assistant national secretary Scott Cowen said the cost of technological change should not be borne by the workers who have kept the airline running for years, and called for regulations to protect local jobs as AI reshapes workplaces.
The union says Qantas gave assurances in August that it had no plans to send jobs offshore. The offshoring plan, known internally as Project iQ, was first reported in August 2026. Qantas disputes that it gave such an assurance.
This is not Qantas’ first fight over outsourcing. The High Court ruled in 2024 that the airline’s 2020 outsourcing of ground-handling jobs was unlawful, so the new plan is likely to face close scrutiny.
The bigger picture: a wave of offshoring
Qantas is the third major Australian company to announce a large corporate restructure in three weeks, after NAB and Canva flagged job cuts of their own. Other big employers are moving the same way: Woolworths and Coles have announced plans to offshore hundreds of corporate roles to India and other parts of Asia, and NAB and ANZ have both indicated they will grow their offshore workforces while removing domestic roles.
The pattern is clear. As AI tools get better at back-office work — finance processing, HR administration, procurement — big employers are asking whether those jobs need to sit in expensive Australian head offices at all. For workers in corporate support roles, the Qantas announcement is a warning that no household-name employer is immune.
What does it mean for travellers?
For passengers, very little changes in the short term. The cuts are in corporate support roles, not pilots, cabin crew or airport staff, so flights and airport operations are not part of this plan.
The one thing travellers should watch is fares. Qantas has already warned that airfares could rise again in 2027 because of high fuel costs, so the savings from this restructure may not flow through to cheaper tickets.
Frequently asked questions
How many jobs is Qantas cutting?
850 corporate jobs in Australia, about 3 per cent of the airline’s 28,000-strong Australian workforce. The airline employs about 32,000 people worldwide.
Which Qantas roles are being cut?
The first phase affects finance, procurement, human resources and marketing roles at head office. Pilots, cabin crew and airport staff are not affected.
Where are the Qantas jobs going?
Most of the work will be done by Accenture teams in India under a multi-year deal. Some roles will remain in Australia.
When do the Qantas job cuts start?
The first changes are expected by mid-2027, with further changes rolling out over the following years.
Will affected Qantas staff get help?
Qantas says it will consult staff and unions before final decisions, consider affected employees for redeployment — including in new roles in Australia — and offer retraining and reskilling support.
Will Qantas flights be affected?
No. The cuts cover corporate back-office roles only, so flight schedules, cabin crew and airport operations are not part of the plan.
