BT Group provides £1.3bn boost to Yorkshire economy, according to new report
BT Group has generated a £1.3bn contribution to the Yorkshire and the Humber economy during the 2017/18 financial year, according to an independent report.
‘The Economic Impact of BT Group plc in the UK’ report, by Hatch Regeneris, shows that the communications company is responsible for generating £1 in every £90 produced in the the region’s economy.
The report claims that the equivalent of 16,300 full-time jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber are supported through BT’s direct employment, its spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of its employees.
BT Group directly employs 5,990 people in the region, with a further 423 employed as contractors. BT Group estimatedly supports one in every 100 employees working in the Yorkshire and the Humber private sector.
The group also spent more than £500m with suppliers based in Yorkshire and the Humber throughout last year.
BT Group and EE are also bringing 5G to Leeds and Bradford in 2019 and building on major full fibre infrastructure already underway.
Tim Fanning, director at Hatch Regeneris, said: “Our analysis underlines how vast BT Group’s contribution is to the UK economy, particularly across the nations and regions. 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.”
Kieran Charleson, BT Group regional director for the North of England, added: “Few companies play as important a role in Yorkshire and the Humber as BT Group. Not only does BT connect friends, families and businesses across the UK, but we also we also make a significant contribution to the region’s economy.
“We’re proud to be one of the region’s largest private sector employers and investors. Our investments, including the latest 5G mobile technology through our mobile network EE, will ensure the UK continues to be one of the world’s best-connected economies.
“With 6,400 people directly employed in the region, spending their salaries in local businesses, as well as regularly volunteering on activities such as our Barefoot tech literacy programme in schools, our people are at the heart of the community.”
The report includes the contribution of all parts of BT Group, including Openreach, mobile network provider EE and BT’s Consumer and Enterprise divisions.
