Member Article

EE acquisition cements BT’s status as leading North East employer

An independent study, by economic development and regeneration consultancy Regeneris, has revealed that British telecoms giant BT has boosted the North East economy by £1.16bn over the past year.

The report found that BT supported around 12,600 jobs in the North East through direct employment, spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of employees.

BT’s takeover of EE, which has reinforced the communications company’s position as one of the region’s leading employers, was given particular highlight.

In employment terms, BT and EE’s impact in the 2015-16 financial year was larger than the region’s civil engineering sector.

More than 8,500 people are directly employed by BT and its EE business in the North East – equivalent to one in three employees working in the region’s IT and communications sector. Around £70m was spent with North East suppliers.

Sarah Glendinning, CBI’s North East director, said: “This latest research demonstrates the extent to which BT plays a key role in our local communities.

“There is not a businessperson or family in this region who – directly or indirectly – is not affected by BT’s activities as a supplier of essential services, such as superfast broadband, major employer, investor or purchaser.

“In a competitive world, in which trade and relationships increasingly transcend regional and national boundaries, rapid and effective communications are ever more vital.”

Farooq Hakim, BT’s regional director for the North East, said: “Few organisations have a more positive and direct impact on the local economy and the region’s communities than BT.

“The acquisition of EE means we can invest even further, enabling people living and working in the North East to get access to the best communications - fixed line, mobile and broadband services - now and in the future.

“As well as providing the means for families, homeworkers, companies and other organisations to communicate and do business in new and exciting ways, BT is helping to support other firms and suppliers in the region with the company’s procurement and overall expenditure and the spending of its employees.”

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