Rio Tinto

Financial Context

Illustrative wage differential: if the 2,090+ reported offshore roles were instead employed in Australia at average local rates, the additional cost could be in the order of ~$178M/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?

Financial data: FY2024. Estimate uses avg AU cost of $110,000+/yr (salary only, excluding super, office, recruitment) vs offshore $25,000/yr (salary + on-costs). Actual figures vary by role, seniority, and location.

In Plain English

• In 2023, Rio Tinto was reported to have 2,090+ offshore contractors and staff.
• This represents ~3.9% when compared to its current workforce of 53,000 (illustrative comparison only — not directly reported by the company).
• 🇮🇳 800+ staff reported in India in Back Office.
• Known outsourcing partners include Deloitte, PwC, IBM, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services.

Based on data from public sources at the dates reported. Figures may not reflect current headcount. See sources below for full attribution.

The Story

• 2014Rio Tinto outsourced its IT 'back office' to IBM under a managed services deal, consolidating support functions that had previously been handled by internal teams across multiple countries. [iTnews]
• 2019Rio Tinto set up a data analytics centre in India, expanding its offshore technology capability. The Pune-based centre focused on automation, AI, and data science for mining operations. [iTnews]
• 2023Rio Tinto's modern slavery statement revealed operations in India with approximately 2,090 workers supporting technology, analytics, and shared services functions. The India operation had grown significantly since the 2019 analytics centre launch. [Modern Slavery Register]
• 2025Rio Tinto's AI-enabled supply chain — partly managed via its Indian GCC — has led to millions in cost savings through real-time logistics and demand forecasting. The GCCs implement data analytics for mining operations, resource management, and environmental monitoring. [Inductus GCC Report]

All facts sourced from public reporting. No editorial commentary. Click source links to verify.