Telstra-Accenture JV to cut around 200 jobs and shift some work to India

The Telstra-Accenture Data and AI joint venture has proposed cutting around 209 positions, with some roles being discontinued and others shifted to India, as the year-old partnership looks to streamline delivery and improve cost efficiency.

The seven-year joint venture, announced in January last year, was created to help Telstra modernise its data and artificial intelligence platforms while building new AI tools and workforce capability.

According to iTnews, the venture has now begun consulting staff on workforce changes that would reduce roles where work is no longer required and move some functions to Accenture’s specialist hub in India.

A spokesperson for the joint venture confirmed that the proposal was put to employees this week.

“We spoke with the Data & AI joint venture team about proposed changes to our workforce, including reducing roles where work is no longer needed, and moving some work to the JV team in India,” the spokesperson told iTnews.

The spokesperson said the shift would allow the venture to draw on Accenture’s global AI expertise and delivery capacity in India to accelerate Telstra’s data and AI roadmap.

The partnership expects the changes to generate cost efficiencies over time, while supporting faster execution and an improved experience for Telstra customers.

A consultation phase has now begun with affected Australian-based employees, though the timeline for completion has not yet been confirmed.

If the proposal proceeds, the joint venture said it would support impacted staff through redeployment opportunities either within Telstra or Accenture where possible, alongside access to career transition services and redundancy benefits.

Telstra had initially offered its internal “core data and AI” staff roles within the joint venture at its launch, with expectations that the new structure would become more efficient as its transformation programme advanced.

The proposed reductions come amid mixed assessments of the venture’s performance. A source cited by iTnews said the joint venture had underdelivered in areas such as the rollout of AI-enabled customer experiences and ensuring new data platforms matched the capabilities of legacy systems scheduled for decommissioning.

The joint venture disputed that characterisation, saying it had made strong progress, including retiring older platforms, establishing responsible AI governance frameworks, streamlining data architecture and expanding access to global innovation through a Silicon Valley hub.

The move highlights the growing pressure on telecom and technology partnerships to deliver rapid AI transformation while managing costs, particularly as companies increasingly rely on offshore hubs for specialist skills.

For Telstra, the outcome of the consultation will be closely watched as it continues to invest in AI-driven modernisation while balancing workforce impacts at home and execution speed abroad.