NAB's Offshore Hiring Spree: 172 Jobs in Asia While Cutting Australian Staff

National Australia Bank (NAB) is actively recruiting for 172 roles across five locations in Asia, including many management positions in core areas like business lending and wealth. This comes after the bank cut Australian jobs, raising questions about whether the redundancies are about capitalising on cheaper offshore workers.

According to NAB's job web pages for its "innovation centres" in Vietnam and India, the bank has 103 positions open in Ho Chi Minh City and 28 in Hanoi. The remaining roles are spread across other Asian locations.

The move has sparked debate about offshoring and its impact on the Australian workforce. While NAB has not explicitly stated that the redundancies are linked to offshoring, the timing and scale of the offshore hiring have raised eyebrows.

Key locations:

• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: 103 jobs
• Hanoi, Vietnam: 28 jobs
• Other Asian locations: 41 jobs (total 172)

Roles include:

• Management positions
• Business lending
• Wealth management

This trend reflects a broader shift in the banking industry towards global talent hubs to reduce costs and access specialised skills. However, it also highlights the tension between cost efficiency and local employment.

As NAB expands its offshore footprint, stakeholders will be watching closely to see how this affects service quality, local communities, and the bank's reputation.