The BT Group has contributed almost £2bn into the North West’s economy in the last year.

The Economic Impact report from consultancy firm Hatch looked at the spend of employees and suppliers of BT Group – which includes EE, BT, Plusnet, and Openreach – and the estimated knock-on impact that has on economies across the country.

The BT Group employs around 8,600 people across the North West, and made a direct contribution to the region’s economy estimated at £1.2bn in the last financial year (2021/22).

Through the company’s employees and its supply chain, and their subsequent spending, Hatch estimates the resulting boost to the region’s economy came to a total of £1.86bn. 

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The company’s spending with suppliers based in the North West came to a total of £420m. According to the study, BT Group’s combined activities supported a knock-on total of 20,800 jobs across the region.

The report highlights BT Group’s presence across the North West and its current major investment in the rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G across the country. 

It also profiles the range of activities by BT Group colleagues across the UK, from the volunteers helping care home residents avoid isolation and loneliness, to the teams protecting customers and the UK from cyber threats. 

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Philip Jansen, Chief Executive of BT Group, said: “BT Group plays a vital role at the heart of the UK economy. We're one of only a handful of companies that serves customers in every corner of the country. 

“We've continued our major investment in building next generation full fibre and mobile connectivity rapidly across the UK.

We've already reached 9.6m premises with full fibre, and our 5G mobile network now reaches 60 per cent of the UK population.

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“The benefits to families and businesses are huge - new jobs, economic growth and innovation, across every nation and region.  

“We’re also transforming BT Group so that we’re fit to power the UK economy of the future. Our new state-of-the-art offices, spread across the UK, are a central part of that, bringing colleagues together in brilliant spaces that will enable collaboration and help us to better serve our customers.”