UK telecoms company BT has announced plans to cut 55,000 jobs in a major overhaul and says some tasks will be undertaken by artificial intelligence
UK telecoms company BT Group has announced that it plans to shed up to 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade and replace some of them with artificial intelligence.
The communications giant said the cuts are part of an overhaul aimed at slimming down its workforce to slash costs.
BT, which has 130,000 workers including both staff and contractors, said in its latest earnings report that its number of employees would be reduced to between 75,000 and 90,000 by 2030.
“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.”
Tech and telecom companies have been cutting jobs as the industry undergoes a painful shakeup amid flagging economic growth and surging inflation.
On Tuesday, wireless carrier Vodafone, also UK-based but operating in Europe and Africa, said it is to lay off 11,000 workers as part of a major revamp.
cc