Qantas is preparing to cut 850 local jobs and outsource work offshore under an AI-driven overhaul, marking a growing wave of disruption to the Australian workforce.

The changes represent the third major corporate layoff plan announced in Australia in three weeks, after restructuring moves flagged by the design company Canva and National Australia Bank .

Qantas said on Tuesday it had signed a multi-year agreement with the professional services firm Accenture to “modernise its back-end systems, processes and data, as it steps up investment in technology and AI”.

Some of the services will be transferred to Accenture’s large India-based team.

The Qantas chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, said the airline would consult with affected staff and unions before final decisions were made, with the first changes to take effect by midway through next year.

“The scale and speed of change in this space is unprecedented and unlike anything businesses have seen in generations,” Hudson said.

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