BT sheds nearly another 8,000 jobs as cost-cutting helps boost earnings

BT has revealed almost another 8,000 jobs have been axed since the end of March as part of its ongoing programme to slash costs.

The group – which last month rescued telecoms firm TalkTalk from administration for £400 million – saw its total workforce, excluding the international business, fall 7,731 to 90,000 over its half-year to the end of March.

Year-on-year, the group’s workforce is 11,712, or 11% lower.

Most of the reduction was due to fewer roles needed across its Openreach division, as it lowers resources following the peak of its fibre network build and as part of a drive to slash billions of pounds in costs by 2030.

Cost-cutting efforts helped the group’s pre-tax profits lift 12% year-on-year to £1.1 billion in the six months to September 30.

BT said it was unable to give details on its plans for TalkTalk and jobs at the firm, as it is required by regulators to ring-fence the business and run it separately while regulators assess the deal.

It stepped in to save TalkTalk’s consumer division and its wholesale arm PlatformX Communications (PXC) after TalkTalk’s attempts to find a buyer for its two businesses had failed.

The move protected jobs for TalkTalk’s 900 workers based in Salford, Greater Manchester, and secured the telecoms supply to 2.5 million households and vital public service customers, including hospitals and schools.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy intervened, invoking a Public Interest Intervention Notice and ordering a speedy investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority, with a deadline for the watchdog to report back to her by October 19.

BT said in May it was ramping up its cost-savings target by another £700 million and extending its restructuring programme by a year to the end of March 2030, leaving its workforce including the soon-to-be hived off international arm at the lower end of the previously forecasted range, at about 75,000 by 2030.

This is down from 130,000 workers, including contractors, in 2024.

But when stripping out the employees at its international business, which is being spun out into a joint venture with US mobile phone firm Verizon, the firm will be left with around 65,000 to 70,000 workers, it said on Thursday.

Its cost-savings target has also been lowered to about £3.5 billion a year to take account of the international business separation, down from £3.7 billion previously.

Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT, said: “Our UK-centric strategy and transformation is clearly delivering with £312 million of annualised savings achieved in the first half, as we continue to simplify and modernise.

“Our proposed international joint venture with Verizon is progressing at pace, and we’ve also stepped up for the country with the acquisition of TalkTalk, protecting millions of customers while creating value for all our stakeholders.”

Published: 05/11/2026 by Radio NewsHub