The Growing Impact of AI! 850 Jobs to be Cut at This Company

Significant news has emerged from the Australian airline, Qantas. The company is set to lay off 850 employees. As part of a move to increase the use of AI, the airline will also shift certain back-office operations to India.

The impact of AI is now being felt by employees at major global corporations. Qantas Airways, Australia’s largest airline, has decided to eliminate approximately 850 positions. The company intends to handle many of its operational tasks through AI and new technologies. Additionally, some corporate functions will be relocated to India, where they will be managed by teams from the consulting firm Accenture.

The layoff process is expected to be completed over the next few years, with the first phase projected to be implemented by 2027. This decision once again raises questions about how many jobs might be lost in the future due to the increasing adoption of AI.

Which employees will be affected?

The layoffs at Qantas will impact the company’s back-office and corporate departments. In the initial phase, roles within finance, procurement, human resources, and marketing will be affected.

The company has stated that certain functions will be outsourced to Accenture, with teams based in India handling the majority of these tasks. In other words, some operations currently performed by Qantas staff in Australia will now be carried out from India.

Why are these layoffs happening?

Qantas explains that technology and AI are driving rapid changes within the airline industry. To navigate this, the company has entered into a partnership with Accenture. Qantas currently relies on over 1,000 legacy software programs and systems; the plan is to modernize these, automate processes, and expand the use of AI.

Will job opportunities in India increase?

Qantas is shifting some of its back-office operations to India, which will be managed by teams from Accenture. This means that some of the company's operations will be carried out in India instead of Australia. However, the company has not specified how many employees in India will be assigned these tasks. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the number of jobs in India will increase.