Qantashas refused to confirm whether it will ship up to 1000 jobs offshore to India as part of a restructuring program centred around AI.
According to theAustralian Financial Review, the plan, known as Project iQ, would see marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office positions outsourced to other countries, including India.
Qantas claimed it was still committed to supporting jobs in Australia.Wolter Peeters
The potential deal has been reached alongside consulting giant Accenture.
When reports of the proposal were put to the airline, Qantas admitted it was in “early stage discussions” with Accenture, but did not elaborate on details of the project, or if there would be any job losses in Australia.
“Like all organisations, Qantas has been looking at ways to accelerate the use of technology and AI to help us modernise the way we work and deliver better outcomes for our customers and our people,” a Qantas spokesperson told nine.com.au.
“We have been exploring partnerships that have the capability to support us… but no formal agreement is in place and no decisions have been made.”
Qantas told nine.com.au it remained committed to providing employment opportunities in Australia, claiming it has added “thousands of operational roles” domestically, and will continue to add thousands more “in the coming years”.
Accenture referred nine.com.au to Qantas when contacted for comment.
The Australian Services Union (ASU) expressed concern at the prospect of close to 1000 Aussie jobs being lost.
ASU Assistant National Secretary Scott Cowen claimed Project iQ going ahead would see Qantas breach a promise of not sending jobs offshore, and that the quality of service would diminish as a result.
“Qantas has informed that there is no plan to offshore any Australian jobs, and we demand the airline stay true to these commitments,” he said.
“The premium service Qantas passengers expect is built on the expertise of our members, not the efficiency of an algorithm.”
Qantas was found guilty ofillegally sackingmore than 1800 baggage handlers and ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 under previous CEOAlan Joyce.
The company was fined $90 million after it unsuccessfully appealed the ruling last year.
Australia’s largest airline is not the only company in the country to seek to outsource jobs.
Officeworksannounced in May it would ship hundreds of jobs, including in call centres, to India and the Philippines as part of a $15 million restructure.
Supermarket giantWoolworthssaid in June it would move several corporate jobs, including HR, IT and finance, to Asia.
