The Qantas Group has confirmed that around 850 roles will be affected by a restructure that will automate some functions and outsource others to India.
In a statement, the airline said it would consult with affected employees and their unions before individual outcomes are determined.
The first wave of changes was expected to be in place by mid-2027.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the airline, like other organisations, was going through change “unlike anything businesses have seen in generations”.
Qantas is one of more than 10 Australian companies to announce upcoming redundancies in recent months.
Most recently Canva announced a major global restructure impacting 22 percent of its workforce (about 1200 to 1500 roles), blaming shifting tech and AI challenges.
The National Australia Bank is also expecting to cut an estimated 2500 jobs by mid-2027, targeting corporate functions and reducing reliance on contractors.
Qantas announced today that it has signed a strategic partnership with Accenture to “modernise its back-end systems, processes and data”.
The partnership would simplify how parts of the Group’s corporate functions operated, with some services moving to Accenture to be delivered out of India and Australia, with greater reliance on automation and AI.
Qantas said in a statement that it was responding to the pace of change in technology and AI globally, which was rapidly transforming how businesses operated, what customers expected and how people did their jobs.
Ms Hudson said that Qantas ran on technology built up over decades for a different era.
This included more than 1000 legacy applications that were never designed to work together.
“Modernising these systems and connecting the data across them is the critical next step to remove complexity, unlock innovation and accelerate the Group’s use of AI, with lasting benefits across the business,” Ms Hudson said.
“The scale and speed of change in this space is unprecedented and unlike anything businesses have seen in generations.
“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 for us.”
Ms Hudson said Qantas knew the jobs impact would be difficult news for some of its people.
“We are focused on providing redeployment into other roles across the Group where possible, including new roles we’re creating in Australia, as well as on reskilling, retraining and ongoing support and care,” she said.
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