Australian supermarket giant Coles is planning to offshore hundreds of corporate jobs to India through an expanded agreement with Accenture, according to media reports. The Australian Financial Review reported that the retail chain will outsource positions across its marketing, finance, human resources and technology divisions under a deal valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Local job losses at Coles could range from several hundred to more than 1,000 positions, according to the outlet. Most of the affected roles will move to India, while Accenture will take over the remaining jobs in Australia. Coles currently employs about 5,000 corporate workers.
"We are constantly exploring partnerships that help us unlock that capability at the scale and pace we need in an increasingly competitive environment, allowing us to … move faster, and deliver for our customers," a Coles spokesperson said.
Qantas outsourcing proposals
The reported restructuring at Coles comes days after reports that Qantas was considering a similar outsourcing strategy. The airline plan, known as Project IQ, involves outsourcing parts of its marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office functions.
Qantas confirmed it was in "early stage discussions" regarding the proposal. "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 said.
"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," the Qantas spokesperson added.
Qantas stated that it remains committed to providing domestic employment opportunities. The airline said it has added "thousands of operational roles" in Australia and plans to continue adding thousands more "in the coming years."
