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

A NAB worker fears they have spent three years training their own replacement in India, as cheap overseas labour and artificial intelligence threaten Aussie office jobs -and skilled trades emerge as a safer career bet. asserted

Once blamed for shutting factories and putting blue-collar workers out of a job, offshoring is now climbing the corporate ladder, with skilled roles in finance, technology and cybersecurity increasingly being shipped overseas. asserted

The pandemic proved office jobs could be done from anywhere - giving bosses a chance to swap Australian workers for lower-paid replacements overseas. uncertain

For one NAB worker tasked with training a new Indian staffer, the grim reality had become all too apparent. asserted

'I've spent three years training a NAB India colleague to do my role and now my job is at risk,' they said. asserted

'We're still expected to train NAB India staff and pass on everything we know, even though we're worried about losing our own jobs. asserted

'We're handing over years of experience while trying to save our own careers.' NAB has announced 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. asserted

A NAB worker has revealed they may lose their job after they spent three years training up a colleague in India Australia's biggest banks are expanding roles in their Indian offices (including ANZ which is pictured) At the same time, the bank is recruiting staff in India and Vietnam. uncertain

Job advertisements seen by the Daily Mail show NAB, ANZ and Commonwealth Bank are all recruiting in cities across India. asserted

NAB employs more than 5,000 workers in India and another 2,000 in Vietnam, while ANZ has around 9,000 employees in India. asserted

Commonwealth Bank reported almost 7,000 full-time-equivalent staff in India at June 30. asserted

The potential savings are stark: a junior software engineer in Vietnam could cost NAB about $20,000 a year, compared with $80,000 or more for an equivalent Australian worker. uncertain

The jobs shift extends beyond banking, with Officeworks and Woolworths also announcing plans to move some Australian work overseas. asserted

Finance Sector Union national president Wendy Streets told the Daily Mail that, for Australian workers, offshoring was simply another word for redundancy. asserted

'When an Australian job goes overseas we all lose,' Ms Streets said. asserted

The remaining "onshore" workforce is left to deal with job insecurity stress, extra workloads and bear the brunt of customer frustrations. asserted

' White-collar workers never had to worry about job security, believing the concept of 'offshoring' belonged to blue-collar workers alone (pictured are Holden workers finishing their final shift after the South Australian plant shut for good in 2017) FSU National President Wendy Streets said that when an Australian job goes overseas, we all lose She also criticised the employment conditions facing some overseas workers. ' asserted

Unfortunately, offshore workers are often employed on contracts that allow arbitrary dismissal or pay cuts – so it's not difficult to see why employers, including our richest banks, are seduced by such practices that have long been outlawed in Australia. asserted

'Meanwhile, Australia's economy is also left to deal with the fallout of another livelihood thrown on the scrapheap.' asserted

University of Sydney international business professor Vikas Kumar said the damage to Australian workers was clear, but the danger to Australia's economy could be just as profound. uncertain

'The concern is not simply that jobs are moving overseas. asserted

It is what Australia might miss out on if this trend continues,' Prof. Kumar said. uncertain

'If more of this work moves offshore, Australia risks retaining the brands and customers, but gradually losing expertise needed to underpin long-term competitiveness. asserted

They are where people acquire skills and prepare for more senior leadership roles. asserted

If more of this work moves offshore, Australia risks retaining the brands and customers, but gradually losing expertise needed to underpin long-term competitiveness.' asserted

NAB increased its headcount from about 33,000 full-time employees in 2022 to almost 42,000 in 2025, including recruiting 7,000 workers from India and Vietnam. After news broke of NAB's job cuts, chief executive Andrew Irvine (pictured) said he knew it would be a 'difficult period' for colleagues impacted More than 60 India-based jobs have been advertised at Commonwealth Bank in the last month Offshoring is only part of the uncertainty facing Australia's office workers, with advances in artificial intelligence allowing the technology to take on more analytical and administrative tasks that few could have foreseen just a few years ago. Deloitte Access Economics has identified 82 occupations facing a heightened risk of weaker employment demand as AI takes on more work. These include bank workers, accountants, law clerks, secretaries, systems analysts, payroll clerks and graphic designers. Deloitte Access Economics partner David Rumbens said: 'To date, AI has not yet had a significant structural effect on Australian employment. uncertain

However, the impact of AI on the labour market is likely to occur where automation and augmentation affect specific tasks within jobs. asserted

'Overall, white-collar workers are expected to experience the greatest disruption from AI implementation, with most clerical and administrative occupations involving tasks that are readily automatable with current AI solutions. asserted

Administrative and clerical roles are expected to face weaker employment demand, while occupations in which AI primarily augments cognitive work may benefit from improvements in productivity, output quality and service delivery and see stronger employment growth.' uncertain

His comments come as a recent Victoria Government report revealed the occupations less exposed to the impacts of AI, and which appear better bets for those seeking secure employment. asserted

'Manual occupations are less exposed to AI due to their physical and service-oriented nature,' the report said. asserted

'These include non-routine manual occupations such as ageing and disability carers and education aides, and skilled trades such as electricians and plumbers.' - READ MORE: asserted

Staff at Australian bank warn they're being replaced by artificial intelligence and offshore labour asserted