REA Group
ASX:REAAustralia's largest property listings platform. realestate.com.au.
Estimated % of Workforce
~34.7%
illustrative, not directly reported by the company
Destination Countries
Modern slavery statement: 175 tech contractors in China, 42 in India, 260 in Manila Philippines. Established REAGCC Technology Services Private Limited (REA Cyber City) in India in FY25.
Financial Context
Market Cap
$28.0B
Revenue
$2.2B
Net Profit
$650M
Estimated Wage Differential
~$101M/yr
CEO: Owen Wilson
$5,748,000
74x avg Australian worker
Illustrative wage differential: if the 1,187+ reported offshore roles were instead employed in Australia at average local rates, the additional cost could be in the order of ~$101M/yr (~15.5% 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, REA Group was reported to have 1,187+ offshore contractors and staff.
- This represents ~34.7% when compared to its current workforce of 3,418 (illustrative comparison only, not directly reported by the company).
- 🇨🇳 525+ staff reported in China in IT, Engineering.
- 🇵🇭 520+ staff reported in Philippines in Call Centre, Engineering.
- 🇮🇳 142+ staff reported in India in Engineering.
- Known outsourcing partners include Thoughtworks.
- 75 Australian jobs have been cut, with all occurring during periods of offshore expansion.
Based on data from public sources at the dates reported. Figures may not reflect current headcount. See sources below for full attribution.
The Story
- July 2025REA cut approximately 15% of its 500+ Melbourne tech developers, with jobs shifted to India. The CPO and CTO addressed a town hall, after which 'morale sank further.' REA spokesman: 'Our development team in REA India is an extension of our team in Australia.' Share price had surged 400% over 10 years. The cuts were not driven by financial distress. [Australian Financial Review]
- July 2025REA chairman Hamish McLennan also chairs ARN Media, which announced similar cuts with jobs moved to India two months earlier. AFR columnist: 'A price war's first casualties are rarely management.' [Australian Financial Review]
- 2015-2025REA's share price grew over 400% in 10 years, making it one of the best-performing stocks on the ASX. [Google Finance]
- Mid-2025The Gurugram centre had grown to 70 REA employees and 30 from Thoughtworks, with plans to onboard 100 more in the coming year. [Forrester]
- October 2024REA opened a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Gurugram, India. CTO Steve Maidment said India headcount would grow to "10% of its global workforce in the next two years". [Economic Times]
- 2022REA had "over 500 developers across 60 teams". [AFR]
All facts sourced from public reporting. No editorial commentary. Click source links to verify.
Department Breakdown
| Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Confirmed |
| Call Centre | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 260 | Confirmed |
| Engineering | 🇮🇳 India | 142 | Confirmed |
| Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Estimated |
| Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Estimated |
| Engineering | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 260 | Estimated |
Offshoring Timeline
| Date | Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2024 | Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Estimated |
| 1 Jan 2024 | Engineering | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 260 | Estimated |
| 1 Jan 2025 | Engineering | 🇮🇳 India | — | Estimated |
| 30 Jun 2025 | IT | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Confirmed |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Call Centre | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 260 | Confirmed |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Engineering | 🇮🇳 India | 142 | Confirmed |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Engineering | 🇨🇳 China | 175 | Estimated |
Layoff Events
| Date | Headcount | Location | Department | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2025 | 75 | Australia | engineering | Linked to offshoring record |
Consultancy Engagements
| Vendor | Type | Contract Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thoughtworks | Managed Services | — | Confirmed |
Other Technology Companies That Offshore
Other companies in technology with reported offshore operations.
| Company | ASX | Reported Offshore | Offshore Destinations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian | 1,700+ | 🇮🇳 India | |
| Canva | 1,000+ | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| WiseTech Global | WTC | 428+ | 🇮🇳 India |
| Computershare | CPU | 350+ | 🇵🇭 Philippines🇮🇳 India |
| Employment Hero | 220+ | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
What Public Sources Say
All information below is sourced from publicly available documents and reporting. Excerpts are direct quotes. Click source links to verify.
“REA would cut jobs from the tech team — around 15 per cent of the unit, part of a major cost-cutting restructure that involved offshoring roles to India. In 2022, the company said it had over 500 developers across 60 teams. REA spokesman said less than four per cent would be made redundant. Development team in REA India is an extension of our team in Australia.”
“REA Group established REAGCC Technology Services Private Limited (REA Cyber City) in Gurugram, India — a direct workforce of developers and technical personnel. Indirect workforce: 175 tech contractors in China, 42 tech contractors in India, 260 contractors in Philippines (tech, operations, call centre). REA India (Housing.com/PropTiger) has 514 suppliers.”
“REACC has grown to include 70 employees from REA and 30 from Thoughtworks, with plans to onboard about 100 more in the coming year. Contributes to core product and platform engineering, with strategic plans to expand into AI/ML and data engineering.”
“REA Group plans to increase its India headcount to 10% of its global workforce in the next two years. CTO Steve Maidment confirmed the GCC launch in Gurugram. REA also owns Housing.com, Makaan.com and PropTiger.com in India.”
Additional Sources
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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 REA Group? Submit a correction. We welcome input from companies, employees, and researchers.