TPG Telecom
ASX:TPGAustralia's third-largest telco. Brands include Vodafone, iiNet, TPG, Felix.
Reported Offshore Headcount
2,950+
reported 20 Feb 2024, Tech Mahindra: acquisition of 100% stake in Orchid Cybertech Services
Estimated % of Workforce
~47.3%
illustrative, not directly reported by the company
Destination Countries
The 2,950 people in Manila are employed by Tech Mahindra, not TPG. Tech Mahindra bought Orchid Cybertech, TPG's Philippines customer experience business, in February 2024 and kept serving TPG through its vCustomer Philippines subsidiary. They are counted here because the work is still TPG's, the same basis on which Telstra's indirect workforce and Suncorp's partner staff are counted. The percentage uses TPG's own 3,282 staff plus the 2,950 outsourced workers, because measuring vendor staff against TPG's payroll alone produced a nonsensical 88%. A previous version of this page said TPG cut about 3,000 jobs in February 2024, citing a URL that does not exist. Those people transferred to a vendor rather than losing their jobs. Corrected October 2026.
Financial Context
Market Cap
$10.5B
Revenue
$5.7B
Net Profit
$300M
Estimated Wage Differential
~$251M/yr
CEO: Inaki Berroeta
$7,113,000
91x avg Australian worker
Illustrative wage differential: if the 2,950+ reported offshore roles were instead employed in Australia at average local rates, the additional cost could be in the order of ~$251M/yr (~83.7% 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 2024, TPG Telecom was reported to have 2,950+ offshore contractors and staff.
- This represents ~47.3% when compared to its current workforce of 6,232 (illustrative comparison only, not directly reported by the company).
- 🇵🇭 2,950+ staff reported in Philippines in Call Centre, Customer Support, IT.
- Known outsourcing partners include Tech Mahindra.
Based on data from public sources at the dates reported. Figures may not reflect current headcount. See sources below for full attribution.
The Story
- February 2024Correction, October 2026: this page previously said TPG "cut approximately 3,000 jobs" in February 2024. That was wrong. What happened in February 2024 is that Tech Mahindra bought 100% of Orchid Cybertech Services, TPG's Philippines-based customer experience business, with about 2,950 full-time employees. Those people were not cut. They moved to a vendor, and under Tech Mahindra's subsidiary vCustomer Philippines they continued providing customer support to TPG. Tech Mahindra's own filing to the exchange records the transaction documents as signed on 20 February 2024, the target as providing customer experience services to TPG Telecom, and the headcount as approximately 2,950. So the work stayed offshore and stayed TPG's, it just stopped being done by TPG's own employees. That is why this site still counts those people, and why the percentage uses TPG's own staff plus the outsourced workforce rather than its payroll alone. [Tech Mahindra exchange filing]
- February 2024Tech Mahindra said it would deepen its relationship with TPG Telecom through the acquisition, taking on the Manila operation that answers TPG's customers. Orchid Cybertech reported revenue of US$37.3 million for the year to 31 July 2023. [Nearshore Americas]
- July 2020TPG Telecom completed its merger with Vodafone Hutchison Australia on 13 July 2020, a $16.63 billion scheme of arrangement and the largest Australian M&A transaction to complete that year. Vodafone and Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) each held a 25.05% economic interest, with TPG shareholders holding the remaining 49.9%. The combined entity inherited Vodafone's offshore operations. [Norton Rose Fulbright]
All facts sourced from public reporting. No editorial commentary. Click source links to verify.
Department Breakdown
| Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call Centre | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 2,950 | Confirmed |
Offshoring Timeline
| Date | Department | Country | Headcount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 2024 | Call Centre | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 2,950 | Confirmed |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Customer Support | 🇵🇭 Philippines | — | Estimated |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Customer Support | 🇿🇦 South Africa | — | Estimated |
| 30 Jun 2025 | Customer Support | 🇮🇳 India | — | Estimated |
| 30 Jun 2025 | IT | 🇵🇭 Philippines | — | Estimated |
| 30 Jun 2025 | IT | 🇮🇳 India | — | Estimated |
| 1 Dec 2025 | Call Centre | 🇵🇭 Philippines | — | Confirmed |
Consultancy Engagements
| Vendor | Type | Contract Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Mahindra | BPO | — Acquired Orchid Cybertech (2,900 staff Philippines, US3M revenue) for AUDM in Feb 2024. Primary client is TPG. Customer support operations from Philippines. | Confirmed |
Other Telecommunications Companies That Offshore
Other companies in telecommunications 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.
“Directory of Australian companies outsourcing contact centre work, including Qantas. Calls to Qantas and Qantas Frequent Flyer are answered in Australia or New Zealand; emails and some back-office functions remain performed offshore through outsourcing partners.”
“Since 2012, Computershare has employed the services of Cognizant Worldwide Limited (Cognizant) to provide contact centre operations, including voice and chat channel support. The number of staff working for Computershare (through Cognizant) in Manila ranges from 250 – 450 people, depending on seasonal variances”
“Tech Mahindra's exchange filing records that its subsidiary approved the purchase of 100% of Orchid Cybertech Services Inc and signed transaction documents on 20 February 2024. The filing describes the target as providing customer experience services to TPG Telecom with approximately 2,950 full-time employees, and revenue of US$37.3 million for the year ended 31 July 2023. Orchid continued providing customer support to TPG under Tech Mahindra's subsidiary vCustomer Philippines Inc.”
“TPG Telecom merged with Vodafone Hutchison Australia in a $15 billion deal creating Australia's third-largest telco. The combined entity inherited Vodafone's offshore operations in India and the Philippines.”
“Vodafone Hutchison Australia awarded Tech Mahindra 5-year managed IT services contract, consolidating four previous vendors (Ericsson, HP, Tata, IBM).”
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 TPG Telecom? Submit a correction. We welcome input from companies, employees, and researchers.