BT has revealed plans to considerably scale back the variety of individuals working for the telecoms group as a part of efforts to chop prices and bolster profitability.

While outlining annual outcomes, the corporate stated it noticed its "total labour resource" being diminished from 130,000 to between 75,000 and 90,000 by the tip of the last decade underneath a "rolling plan".

It stated the numbers affected - 55,000 on the prime estimate - included its personal workers and third-party contractors.

The firm added that the whole present workforce of 130,000 individuals included 30,000 non-staff.

It didn't present a breakdown in its estimates of what number of direct workers could be affected by the cuts however BT hoped the discount may very well be accomplished largely via pure attrition slightly than redundancy.

Chief Executive Philip Jansen stated that after its fibre roll-out is accomplished and digitising the best way it labored, BT would depend on a a lot smaller workforce and considerably diminished value base by the tip of the 2020s.

"New BT Group will be a leaner business with a brighter future," he stated.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which launched a collection of strikes over pay at BT final 12 months till an agreement was struck in November, was but to provide its response.

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The firm had warned final 12 months that main job losses had been doubtless because it grappled the affect of hovering, energy-driven, inflation.

The annual outcomes met market expectations, with a 5% rise in full-year adjusted core earnings of £7.9bn - its first development in six years..

However, Free cashflow within the 12 months to March fell 5% to £1.3bn resulting from elevated money capital expenditure.

Shares opened 9% decrease.