Qantas to cut 850 Australian jobs and outsource work to India under AI-driven overhaul
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EN: In news headlines, the infinitive form ('to + base verb') is commonly used to express future events or planned actions, serving as an abbreviation for 'is going to' or 'plans to'.
Government to build new high-speed rail line next year.
EN: Coordinating conjunction 'and' connects two parallel infinitive verbs sharing the same subject: 'to Cut [850 Jobs]' and '[to] Move [Work]'. In the second clause, 'to' is omitted to avoid repetition.
The firm plans to reduce costs and hire new engineers.
EN: This headline follows standard 'Headlinese' conventions, which drop articles ('an' AI overhaul) and auxiliary verbs to save space and create urgency. Outsourcing back-office roles to countries like India while investing heavily in AI is a recurring and controversial trend among major Western corporations.
EN: An appositive phrase set off by commas provides non-essential supplementary information about a preceding noun without creating a full relative clause.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is famous for its efficient public transit.
EN: Reporting verbs such as 'announce', 'say', or 'confirm' often take a noun clause introduced by 'that' as their direct object to report statements or plans.
The company announced that it will launch a new product next month.
EN: Qantas, colloquially referred to as 'The Flying Kangaroo', is Australia's flag carrier and largest airline. In Australian corporate culture, announcements of major job cuts due to offshoring or automation often trigger substantial public debate and union pushback.
EN: The present perfect tense ('has signed') is formed with 'have/has' + past participle. It is used here to describe a recently completed action in the past that has relevance or ongoing effects in the present business context.
The tech startup has signed a partnership agreement with a local university.
EN: A non-defining relative clause begins with 'which' preceded by a comma (', which is...'). It adds extra, non-essential information about the noun before it ('Accenture') without restricting its identity.
He works for Microsoft, which is one of the world's largest software companies.
EN: 'Professional services firm' is a formal term in corporate English used for multinational consultancies (such as Accenture, Deloitte, or PwC) that provide specialized services like IT outsourcing, strategy consulting, and digital transformation.
EN: Future passive voice is formed with 'will be + past participle' (will be moved). It is used when an action will happen to the subject in the future, especially when the focus is on the action or the receiver rather than the doer.
The new policy will be implemented next month.
EN: The preposition 'through' is used here to indicate the means or method by which something is achieved (through + noun/gerund).
She improved her English through daily practice.
EN: Offshore outsourcing (often to India) is a common corporate strategy used by Western multinational companies to cut labor costs and access specialized tech or back-office talent, though it frequently sparks domestic backlash from local labor unions.
EN: Ordinal numbers (e.g., 'the first', 'the second', 'the third') are almost always preceded by the definite article 'the' when identifying a specific item in a sequence or rank.
This is the second major update released this year.
EN: The preposition 'in' can express a duration of time within which something occurs. Adding 'just' emphasizes how surprisingly short the time frame is.
He completed the entire project in just two days.
EN: In corporate news, 'layoff' (noun) and 'job cuts' are frequently used interchangeably to describe mass dismissals driven by restructuring or economic downturns rather than individual employee performance.
EN: Compound subjects consist of two or more nouns or noun phrases joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as 'and'). Here, 'the design company Canva' and 'National Australia Bank' act together as the plural subject of the verb 'announced'.
Both the marketing team and the sales department supported the new strategy.
EN: The preposition 'to' is used with nouns like 'change', 'alteration', or 'adjustment' to specify the target or area being modified (e.g., 'changes to something').
The company introduced several changes to the contract.
EN: In corporate and business English, phrases like 'changes to their workforce' or 'restructuring' are common corporate euphemisms used in place of direct terms like 'layoffs' or 'job cuts' to soften the impact of the announcement.
EN: The reporting verb 'says' introduces an indirect statement (noun clause) where the conjunction 'that' is omitted: 'The airline says [that] it wants...'.
The company announced it plans to expand overseas.
EN: The infinitive of purpose ('to improve...') is used here to explain the reason or goal of investing in technology.
She took an online course to learn coding.
EN: In corporate and business English, restructuring and job cuts are frequently justified as strategic shifts toward 'investing in new technology and artificial intelligence', framing workforce reduction around modernizing operational efficiency.
EN: A defining relative clause (starting with 'who') is used to specify exactly which 'staff' are being talked about. In this clause, 'who' serves as the subject for the verb 'work'.
The company is seeking candidates who possess excellent communication skills.
EN: When listing multiple items (e.g., departments: finance, procurement, human resources, and marketing), commas separate each item, with 'and' placed before the final element.
We provide consulting services in technology, operations and management.
EN: In modern corporate restructuring (particularly involving AI adoption or outsourcing), back-office departments such as finance, procurement, and human resources are often the first to be automated or transferred to lower-cost shared service hubs abroad.
EN: Reporting Clause with 'That'-Noun Clause: The reporting verb 'said' is followed by a content clause starting with 'that', which functions as the direct object of the main verb. The 'that' can sometimes be omitted in casual English, but is retained in formal news reporting.
The manager explained that the new policy would take effect next month.
EN: Complex Noun Phrase Subject: In 'the speed of technological disruption today', the head noun 'speed' is post-modified by the prepositional phrase 'of technological disruption' and the temporal adverb/noun 'today'. Notice that the singular head noun 'speed' determines the singular verb 'is'.
The cost of living in big cities has increased dramatically.
EN: Corporate leaders often use terms like 'technological disruption' and 'unprecedented' to justify restructuring and workforce reductions, framing job cuts as an unavoidable strategic response to industry-wide changes rather than internal mismanagement.
EN: The verb 'know' is followed by an object noun clause where the conjunction 'that' is omitted: 'We know [that] this will be difficult news...'. In conversational and informal written English, omitting 'that' after common cognitive verbs (such as know, think, believe) is very common.
I know you worked hard on this project.
EN: The noun 'news' is an uncountable noun in English. It always takes a singular verb (e.g., 'news is / will be') and cannot be preceded directly by the indefinite article 'a' (we say 'difficult news', not 'a difficult news').
The bad news was unexpected for all employees.
EN: In corporate communication, leaders often refer to employees as 'our people' rather than 'workers' or 'employees'. This phrasing sounds more personal, supportive, and human-centric, especially when delivering difficult announcements such as layoffs or restructurings.
EN: In indirect speech (reported speech), when the main reporting verb is in the past tense ('added'), the modal verb 'will' typically shifts back to its past form 'would' (future-in-the-past).
He promised that he would call me as soon as he arrived.
EN: In time adverbial clauses introduced by conjunctions such as 'before', 'after', or 'when', the present simple tense is used instead of future tenses even when referring to future events.
Please turn off the lights before you leave the office.
EN: In Australian industrial relations, companies undergoing major restructuring or redundancy programs are legally or contractually obligated through Enterprise Agreements to engage in a formal 'consultation process' with trade unions and affected staff prior to finalizing decisions.
EN: The passive voice construction 'be + past participle' (are expected) is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than who performs it. Here, 'are expected' implies an expectation held by the company or observers generally.
The new policy is expected to take effect next month.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'by + time expression' indicates a deadline or a point in time before or at which an action will be completed (by the middle of next year = no later than the middle of next year).
Please submit your final report by Friday afternoon.
EN: Qantas is Australia's flag carrier and the largest airline by fleet size and international flights. Its name originally stood for 'Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services'. In Australian culture, it is affectionately nicknamed 'The Flying Kangaroo'.
EN: Present perfect tense ('have reacted', 'have fought') is formed with 'have/has' + past participle. It is used here to connect past actions to the current situation, showing a recent reaction and a recurring history of conflict.
Workers have protested against the new policies several times this year.
EN: The preposition 'over' is used after verbs like 'fight', 'argue', or 'dispute' to indicate the cause, topic, or subject of contention (meaning 'regarding' or 'concerning').
The management and staff argued over working hours.
EN: In Australia, trade unions hold significant legal and historical power, particularly in aviation (e.g., the Transport Workers' Union). Qantas previously faced severe public scrutiny and landmark court battles over illegal ground-handling outsourcing during the COVID-19 pandemic, making current outsourcing moves highly contentious.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
Reductions in the number of employees within a company or organization.
The simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems.
A significant change in industries caused by rapid advances in new technology.
To argue, dispute, or struggle about a particular issue or thing.