The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is set to axe more than 100 technology roles across the group, with the Financial Services Union (FSU) urging the bank to commit to no further cuts.

The FSU was advised that 105 roles would be affected across the CBA’s retail technology, business banking tech, ops and technology services and chief security office functions.

CBA, the FSU noted, attributed the cuts to its broader modernisation and simplification program, a claim FSU national assistant secretary Jason Hall rejected.

“That’s just code for cost-cutting,” he said.

Hall labelled the job cuts “a cruel blow to dedicated staff proud to work at a bank that continues to claim it is the most technologically advanced in Australia”.

He also took aim at the CBA chair Paul O’Malley’s statement during the bank’s last month during the bank’s Annual General Meeting that Australia lacks skilled technology workers.

The FSU renewed its call for CBA to commit to no job losses, urging the bank to redeploy employees and ensure that “no worker faces leaving the bank over these cuts”.

CommBank’s most recent round of proposed staffing cuts comes after a September cull of 116 jobs within its retail operations, which included roles within the chief technology office and strategy and performance functions.

At the time, CBA said its “priority was to deploy or reskill” impacted staff for a new role or opportunity where possible.

Last year, the FSU also challenged the bank’s offshoring of more than 500 jobs to its overseas operations over the previous two years. CBA hastened to stress that the roles remain within its ecosystem, with its India-based business being wholly owned by the company.

“CBA has been increasing employment offshore as it sacks staff onshore which is outrageous behaviour for our largest bank,” Hall said in the FSU’s recent statement.

“It also highlights the lack of commitment to this country and to training the workers who are helping it make profits and contributing to sky-high executive salaries.”

CBA boasts a workforce of more than 53,000, including nearly 49,000 full-time staff across its local and global operations. The bank in its Fy24 annual report noted that it had substantially increased its engineering workforce, adding more than 1,100 staff.

CBA in its Q1 2025 earnings report, released today, recorded a three per cent increase in operating expenses, attributed primarily to higher wage costs. The bank reported an after tax cash net profit of $2.5 billion, matching the previous corresponding period.