BT contributes £592m boost to Northern Ireland

The Economic Impact of BT Group plc in the UK’ report, by Hatch Regeneris, shows that the communications company generated a £592m contribution to the local economy during the 2017/18 financial year.

It estimates that the equivalent of 6,980 full-time jobs are supported through BT’s direct employment, its spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of its employees.

The telecoms giant directly employs 2,650 people in Northern Ireland, with a further 579 employed as contractors.

This is equivalent to one in every 10 employees working in the Northern Ireland IT and communications sectors, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s leading employers.

The group also spent nearly £154 million with suppliers based in Northern Ireland.

“Our analysis underlines how vast BT Group’s contribution is to the UK economy, particularly across the nations and regions,” said Tim Fanning, director at Hatch Regeneris.

“BT Group is almost unique in contributing to the economies of virtually every community across the UK, supporting significant levels of GVA spend and employment opportunities per region.”

Angela McGowan, CBI NI regional director said: “This latest research demonstrates the extent to which BT continues to have a massive impact on our local economy and jobs.

“It’s great to see this significant presence in Northern Ireland.

“BT Group’s investment in the area not only means a boost to the local economy, but also to skills and high quality jobs.”