Telecoms group BT Group plans to cut its workforce by between 40 and 55,000 by the end of the decade, a cut of roughly 40 percent. This applies to both direct PT employees and temporary workers. The group employs 130,000 people, including third-party contractors. That number should be reduced to 75,000 to 90,000 employees by 2030.
CEO Philip Johnson has already cut staff several times in recent years. It aims to save three billion pounds annually from the end of 2025 compared to the company’s cost structure in 2020, according to British IT trade magazine. Computing.
Johnson wants to make BT a leaner company. Most of the layoffs come after the telco fully rolls out its new fiber network. BT is upgrading its national network from copper to fiber with the aim of giving 25 million UK households access to this infrastructure by the end of 2026.
Once this upgrade is complete, the need for technicians will be much less. With the increasing use of artificial intelligence in computers, fewer ICT people are needed for the management and maintenance of infrastructure.
According to Computing, about 30,000 of the items to be disposed of are in the hands of third parties. This is about fifteen thousand fiber optic technicians and ten thousand maintenance staff. In addition, around 10,000 positions will be cut due to increased automation at BT. It is not yet clear what the consequences will be for branches outside the UK.
BT Group (formerly British Telecom) reports turnover of £20.8 billion and profits of £1.3 billion in 2022.
