BT to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, 40% of global workforce

British multinational telecommunications holding company BT on Thursday announced its plan to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, about 40 percent of its global workforce.

Such a layoff is partly due to its adaptation to new technologies including artificial intelligence, the company said.

New technologies will take a bigger role in areas like call handling and network diagnostics, making the work less labor-intensive, BT said.

The company has also started the construction of national full-fiber and 5G networks, and fewer workers will be needed once the rollout is completed.

"By continuing to build and connect like fury, digitise the way we work, and simplify our structure, by the end of the 2020s BT Group will rely on a much smaller workforce and a significantly reduced cost base," BT Chief Executive Philip Jansen said.