Reported Offshore Headcount
1,000+
reported 15 Oct 2025, Fortescue shifts mine safety roles to India - The Australian
Estimated % of Workforce
~6.2%
illustrative, not directly reported by the company
Destination Countries
Financial Context
Market Cap
$55.0B
Revenue
$18.2B
Net Profit
$5.7B
Estimated Wage Differential
~$85M/yr
Illustrative wage differential: if the 1,000+ reported offshore roles were instead employed in Australia at average local rates, the additional cost could be in the order of ~$85M/yr (~1.5% of reported net profit). This is an estimate based on industry averages, not company-specific data.
Would this company be profitable without offshoring?
Every dollar paid offshore leaves the Australian economy, reducing local wages, tax receipts, and economic circulation. Why it matters
Financial data: FY2024. Estimate uses avg AU employment cost of $110,000+/yr (incl. super and on-costs) vs offshore $25,000/yr (salary + on-costs). Actual figures vary by role, seniority, and location.
In Plain English
- In 2025, Fortescue was reported to have 1,000+ offshore contractors and staff.
- This represents ~6.2% when compared to its current workforce of 16,005 (illustrative comparison only, not directly reported by the company).
- 🇨🇳 1,000+ staff reported in China in Engineering.
- 700 Australian jobs have been cut.
Based on data from public sources at the dates reported. Figures may not reflect current headcount. See sources below for full attribution.
The Story
- October 2025Fortescue cut approximately 700 more positions as it refocused on its core iron ore business. The company had pivoted away from its green hydrogen strategy after billions in investment failed to generate commercial returns. [SMH]
- 2024Fortescue abandoned its green hydrogen ambitions, shutting down Fortescue Future Industries and cutting approximately 700 positions globally. Chairman Andrew Forrest had spent years championing green energy as the company's future. [AFR]
All facts sourced from public reporting. No editorial commentary. Click source links to verify.
Department Breakdown
| Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 1,000 | Estimated |
Offshoring Timeline
| Date | Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 2025 | Other | 🇮🇳 India | — | Estimated |
| 15 Oct 2025 | Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 1,000 | Estimated |
Layoff Events
| Date | Headcount | Location | Department | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2025 | 700 | Australia | engineering | Fortescue cut approximately 700 positions globally. Abandoned plans to manufacture green energy equipment in UK, instead consolidating EV motor production in China. Majority of losses in UK (1,000 of 1,100 Fortescue Zero staff are UK-based). |
Other Mining Companies That Offshore
Other companies in mining with reported offshore operations.
What Public Sources Say
All information below is sourced from publicly available documents and reporting. Excerpts are direct quotes. Click source links to verify.
“Fortescue cut approximately 700 positions globally. Abandoned plans to manufacture green energy equipment in UK, instead consolidating EV motor production in China. Majority of losses in UK (1,000 of 1,100 Fortescue Zero staff are UK-based).”
“Fortescue shifted mine safety administrative/support roles to India, causing confusion on mine sites.”
Spread the word
Offshore Watch runs on people passing it on. If this matters to you, share it. The more people who see it, the harder it is to ignore.
This list is not complete, and never will be
If a company isn't listed here, that doesn't mean it doesn't offshore. And every number is the lowest we can prove, so the real figures can often be higher.
Read whyShow less
This list is not complete, and never will be
If a company isn't listed here, that doesn't mean it doesn't offshore. And every number is the lowest we can prove, so the real figures can often be higher.
This started as an ASX 200 project and mostly still is. It has widened as stories landed from outside that list, so it now also covers employers that aren't ASX-listed, like Canva, Allianz Australia, SS&C and Crown Resorts, along with government departments and agencies. Companies get added when something surfaces about them, not by working through a list in order.
Australian companies are under no obligation to disclose where their work is done, and there is no register of offshored jobs. Everything here comes from something that surfaced publicly: an annual report, a modern slavery statement, a news article, a union statement, a government contract, or a tip from someone who was there.
So an absence usually means nobody has reported on that company and we haven't got to it yet, not that it keeps its work onshore. Some of the biggest offshorers say nothing at all. And because each figure counts only what a source actually stated, the real numbers can often run higher, sometimes much higher.
Every figure links to the source it came from, so you can judge it yourself rather than take our word for it. If you know something that is missing or wrong, tell us. Corrections are published, not quietly buried.
This profile reflects public information at the time of publication and may not match current operations. Is something wrong or missing about Fortescue? Submit a correction. We welcome input from companies, employees, and researchers.