BT Group, a telecommunications company based in the United Kingdom, announced on Thursday its intention to reduce its workforce by up to 55,000 employees by the end of the decade. The company plans to incorporate artificial intelligence technology to replace a portion of these positions as part of a comprehensive restructuring initiative, which aims to streamline operations and reduce expenses.
In its most recent earnings report, BT, which currently has a workforce of 130,000 individuals comprising both employees and contractors, revealed its plan to reduce the number of employees to a range of 75,000 to 90,000 by the year 2030, AP news agency reported.
“By the end of the 2020s, BT Group will rely on a much smaller workforce and a significantly reduced cost base,” CEO Philip Jansen said. “New BT Group will be a leaner business with a brighter future.”
Amidst a challenging period of sluggish economic growth and rising inflation, the technology and telecommunications sectors have been experiencing significant job reductions.
BT, previously known as British Telecom and a former state monopoly, plans to employ digitization, automation, and AI to eliminate approximately 10,000 positions within its organization.
These cuts encompass various areas, such as 15,000 jobs related to the construction of fiber-optic broadband and 5G mobile networks, as well as 10,000 roles involved in servicing and repair. Once the deployment of these networks is complete, BT’s need for a large workforce for construction and maintenance purposes will diminish.
