Australian retail giant Officeworks has announced a 'difficult' decision to relocate hundreds of support jobs overseas as part of a major cost-cutting restructure. Dozens of customer service call centre staff in western Sydney have been made redundant this week and will be replaced by a team in Manila, Philippines. Office-based roles in Sydney and Melbourne will also be moved in the coming months to a new 'global centre' in Bengaluru, southern India, intended to 'support our stores and offices'.
Impact on Staff and Operations
Staff from technology support company Geek2U are among those affected. The relocation will occur in three stages to minimise operational disruption. Officeworks India has already begun recruiting for 50 sales, technology, and analyst roles. Parent company Wesfarmers earlier this year announced that Officeworks had initiated a 'significant business transformation program' to maintain low prices for customers while achieving sustainable earnings growth.
Financial Performance
Officeworks recorded earnings of $68 million for the first half of 2025-26, a 21.8 per cent drop compared to the previous year. Wesfarmers attributed this decline to a one-off $15 million transition to a 'low-cost operating model'. The company declined to specify the exact number of jobs being moved offshore but confirmed that customer-facing roles will not be affected.
Company Statement
A spokesperson stated: 'With rising costs, increasing competition and rapidly changing customer expectations, this transformation is critical to strengthening our growth, resilience and competitiveness in a fast-evolving retail landscape. As part of this program, some activities currently performed in our Australian support office will transition to a new global centre in Bengaluru to support our stores and support offices. The work currently done by our customer service centre is transitioning to an experienced provider in Manila with an ongoing Australian presence.'
The spokesperson added: 'The majority of our team, including everyone in our store network, will continue to be based in Australia, and we remain committed to investing in our local operations. As we open new stores to better serve our customers, we are also creating more jobs across Australian communities. This is difficult for affected team members, who will be supported with redundancy entitlements alongside redeployment opportunities and outplacement support where possible.'
Public Reaction
The decision has drawn criticism online. One user on X said: 'Your recent decision to offshore jobs is disgusting. I’ll never shop with you again.' A former customer added: 'I’ll be boycotting Officeworks. If they want to destroy Australian jobs, they deserve to go bankrupt.' Another posted: 'What a betrayal of Australians, who built and sustained your company/business for so many years; yet you turn around and stab them in the back like this. National disgrace.'
Price Cuts and Industry Trends
Officeworks recently announced major price cuts on 400 items, in addition to reductions on more than 1,000 products announced last February. The retailer joins other major firms like NAB, Westpac, CommBank, Telstra, KPMG, and PwC in relocating jobs to India, the Philippines, and other parts of Asia. Officeworks was established in 1994 by Coles Myer, based on the popular US chain Office Depot. The first store opened in Melbourne, and the chain now has 175 outlets nationwide.
