BT is creating 100 new jobs in Belfast as part of an expansion of its digital team in the UK and India.
It will be filling vacancies in product management, software engineering, cloud, design, data, AI and machine learning and agile delivery in a move designed to ramp up its in-house digital capabilities.
BT said its financial outlook will remain unchanged given the new jobs will replace subcontracted labour.
The Belfast roles are part of 1,000 being created in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Ipswich and London, as well as a further 1,800 at its bases in India.
The positions are expected to be filled by April 2024 at the division known as Digital.
“Digital was founded to accelerate BT’s transformation, innovation and return to growth,” Harmeen Mehta, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at BT, said. “To succeed, we need to bring in and upskill the top digital talent, and our efforts will boost the tech communities in the UK and India along the way.”
BT said over 400 of the roles will be so-called “diverse entry talent hires” including graduates, apprentices, women returners and others starting their careers in the digital sector.
The hiring spree follows news earlier this year that BT is refitting its Belfast headquarters at Riverside House to accommodate around 1,800 people. At the time, it said the Belfast base is “a key location in the company’s future plans”.
Immediate past president of the CBI, Lord Bilimoria, welcomed the latest job announcement.
“It’s great that BT is creating so many jobs in such an important area to future economic growth,” he said. “I’m particularly pleased to see their investment in both the UK and in India – two titans in digital talent.
“This announcement reflects the strong partnership between the two countries – and the innovation and business opportunities that a new trade deal between them could unlock.”
