The British telecommunications company BT will cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, 42% of its workforce, as it completes the deployment of fiber optics and adapts to artificial intelligence, it announced on Tuesday.
BT is the country's largest provider of broadband and telephony, as well as offering pay-TV. "By the end of the decade we will have a much smaller workforce and a significantly reduced cost base," said Philip Jansen, CEO of the company. It currently employs around 130,000 people, although 30,000 are contractors.
Jansen has a cost reduction program of 3,500 million euros per year under way by 2025, which started in 2020. The great current front is the deployment of fiber optics. Jansen sees the move as a must after completing the process, digitizing the way it worked, adopting artificial intelligence, and simplifying the structure. The idea is to leave the workforce at between 75,000 and 90,000 workers.
About 10,000 fewer engineers would be needed to run digital networks, while technologies like automation and AI, which offer "great opportunities," would replace another 10,000. "The new BT group will be a leaner business with a brighter future," Jansen said, noting that the company will work with unions to address these job cuts.
The company has announced the cut along with its results. In its fiscal year, closed in March, it earned 2,190 million euros, 50% more than the previous year. The increase is mainly due to the sale of part of BT Sports to Warner Bros. Discovery. Profit before taxes falls 12%. Revenues are stagnant, with a decline of 0.8%, to 23.8 billion euros.
The decision joins the announcement of 11,000 layoffs in Europe made by Vodafone a few days ago, which ushers in an era of adjustments in the sector.
