The airline will outsource its IT applications support and maintenance operations to global services companies Satyam Computer Services Ltd and Tata Consulting Services.
Chief executive Geoff Dixon said the transition to Satyam and Tata, which would take place over 15 months from November.
"Satyam and Tata have established operations in Australia, with a third of the positions undertaking Qantas work to remain onshore," he said in a statement.
Mr Dixon told shareholders that the decision to outsource most of the jobs offshore had raised concerns.
"These concerns are being debated because a number of other companies, notably banks, are believed to have made similar decisions," he said.
Mr Dixon argued that Australia was itself importing workers due to a nationwide skills shortage while thousands of Australians were living and working overseas.
He said while the domestic economy had been opened up, the aviation sector was not yet fully globalised.
"In fields like IT, engineering and catering this has resulted in a concentration of suppliers with superior scale and efficiency," he said.
"Airlines that want to remain sustainable are under increasing pressure to restructure their operations or source these inputs from these suppliers."
The national carrier warned that the cost of fuel remained a concern, even though prices had fallen enough to allow cuts to fuel surcharges on international fares.
It cut its fuel surcharges on international routes, however Mr Dixon said it would continue to monitor fuel prices before cutting the charges on domestic fares.
The cuts to the surcharges, which will be effective on tickets bought on or after Tuesday, October 24, range from $5 to $15.
Chairman Margaret Jackson said trading conditions had improved since Qantas said in August that 2006/07 earnings would be in line with the prior year. The airline reported a net profit of $479.5 million for 2005/06.