NAB worker fears job loss after training overseas replacement for three years
A National Australia Bank worker says they fear losing their job after spending three years training a colleague in India to do their role. The account highlights how offshoring, once associated mainly with factory work, is spreading into professional fields such as finance, technology and cybersecurity, putting supposedly secure office careers under pressure.
NAB plans to cut up to 2,500 roles by the end of the current financial year, including up to 1,500 before the end of 2026, while recruiting in India and Vietnam. NAB employs more than 5,000 people in India and 2,000 in Vietnam; ANZ has about 9,000 in India, and Commonwealth Bank reported nearly 7,000 there. A junior software engineer in Vietnam may cost NAB about $20,000 a year, compared with at least $80,000 in Australia. Union representatives warn of job insecurity and heavier workloads, while an academic says moving work overseas could also weaken Australia’s expertise and career pathways.
In short
- A NAB worker fears their job may follow three years of training a colleague in India.
- NAB plans to cut up to 2,500 roles while hiring in India and Vietnam.
- Experts warn offshoring could weaken Australian skills and graduate career pathways.
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The case for
Moving roles overseas can lower costs and help banks remain competitive, potentially supporting lower prices, investment and jobs in other areas. Hiring in India and Vietnam may also give firms access to a broader talent pool and allow work to be organised across time zones.
The case against
Offshoring can leave experienced Australian workers facing job loss after they have trained overseas colleagues, while adding insecurity and workload pressure for those who remain. It may also erode local expertise and the career pathways that help develop future specialists in finance, technology and cybersecurity.
Explained simply
Offshoring is when a company moves work to another country, often to reduce costs or find staff with particular skills. Banks have long employed people overseas, and advances in technology have made it easier to do professional office work, such as finance and software, across borders.
National Australia Bank, or NAB, is one of Australia’s largest banks. It and other major Australian banks employ thousands of people in India and Vietnam, where wages for some roles are lower than in Australia.
The issue matters to workers whose jobs may be moved, and to customers and businesses that rely on skilled banking staff. Unions say offshoring can add to job insecurity and workloads, while researchers have raised questions about its effects on local expertise and career opportunities.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Death of the white-collar job: NAB worker fears they spent three years training their own replacement in India as offshoring and AI threaten ‘safe’ Aussie careers”.