Qantas to Outsource 850 Head-Office Roles to Accenture, Union Alleges Broken Pledge

Qantas has confirmed plans to outsource around 850 head-office jobs to Accenture, with the work likely to be delivered from the consultancy's offices in India and artificial intelligence potentially playing a role in the transition.

The Australian Services Union (ASU), which represents many of the affected white-collar staff, accused the carrier on Tuesday of breaking assurances given to workers in August that there were "no plan to offshore any Australian jobs". The union demanded Qantas "keep its commitment" and said employees "deserved an honest explanation of what had changed since then".

Qantas rejects the claim. A spokesperson said the airline had "never given assurances to the union that some jobs wouldn't move offshore". The spokesperson confirmed the airline had met the union "on a number of occasions over the last few months" to discuss the potential for roles to move to Accenture, with work delivered by teams in India and in Australia, framed as part of ongoing discussions on how AI will reshape the workforce.

What does the dispute change for the 850 workers?

The union is pressing Qantas for specifics rather than the headline figure. In its statement, the ASU called on the airline to provide:

• Details on how many and which roles will be cut, and how many will remain in Australia
• A concrete retraining plan so experienced staff can move into other roles within the company
• Redundancy packages that recognise workers' years of service
• Consultation with workers and the ASU before individual outcomes are decided

Qantas said no changes will take effect until the middle of next year. The airline said its focus is on redeployment opportunities through the creation of new roles in Australia, alongside investment in reskilling programs and support for affected teams.

A documented history of outsourcing disputes

ASU assistant national secretary Scott Cowen said Qantas "has a documented history of outsourcing and offshoring jobs, even being fined for illegally doing so in the past". He pointed to a direct contradiction between the airline's earlier position and Tuesday's announcement.

"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. Qantas staff have the right to an explanation," Cowen said.

He also framed the outsourcing within the broader disruption AI is causing across the Australian labour market. "AI is having a huge impact on workers across the counttry, but the cost of technology change should not be borne by the workers who have kept the airline running for years. Sending more jobs overseas is not in the spirit of Australia," Cowen said.

"Our priority is keeping as many of these jobs as possible in Australia and ensuring that every affected worker has a real choice about their future at the airline," he added.

AI denials predate the outsourcing decision

The head-office announcement follows a February statement in which Qantas denied that head-office jobs would be replaced with AI, even as the carrier looked to increase its use of the technology. The February denial, the August assurances cited by the union, and Tuesday's confirmation of offshoring to India now form a timeline the ASU intends to hold against the airline.

For Qantas, the deal shifts a substantial block of corporate overhead to a global consultancy at a time when the carrier is investing heavily in technology-led efficiency. For the affected workforce, the practical questions are narrower: which of the 850 roles survive in Australia, on what terms redundancies are paid, and whether the promised reskilling programs deliver internal redeployment before the changes land next year.