The consulting firm’s report, The Economic Impact of BT Group plc in the UK, indicates that BT Group made a direct contribution to the Scottish economy estimated at £1bn in the 21/22 financial year. Through the company’s employees, its supply chain, and their subsequent spending, the boost to the Scottish economy came to a total of £1.5 billion, Hatch estimated.

The report also states that the telecommunications giant — which owns EE, Plusnet, Openreach, and of course, BT — spent around £190m with Scottish suppliers based in Scotland. These suppliers encompassed telecommunications, electric power generation, transmission & distribution, and rail transport, among others.

In terms of jobs, the report indicates that BT Group has supported nearly 15,000 jobs across Scotland. This includes the roughly 9,500 full-time staff living in the nation, with Falkirk, Glasgow, and Dundee representing the top three areas where BT employees and contractors live and work. Dundee’s population of BT Group workers is set to increase in the coming years, as work continues on a new contact centre by the waterfront.

The report’s key stats are as follows:

• 9,540 BT Group employees live in the nation (FTE)
• 9,470 BT Group employees work in the nation (FTE)
• £310 million total income of BT Group employees working in the nation
• £190 million spend with suppliers based in the nation
• £1,450 million total GVA impact (including indirect and induced effects)
• BT Group employed 1 in every 170 employees working in the private sector, and 1 in every 8 employees working in the IT and Communications sectors
• £1 in every £150 of GVA was generated directly by BT Group
• BT Group supported 1 in every 110 employees working in the private sector
  and £1 in every £100 of GVA as a result of the firm’s full economic impact

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On these findings, Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, BT Group, said: “BT Group plays a vital role at the heart of the Scottish 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 9.6 million premises with full fibre, and our 5G mobile network now reaches 60% of the UK population. 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 Scottish 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.”

The report comes as the Group continues to deliver full-fibre broadband across Scotland via Openreach, and as EE’s 5G network is rolled out to more Scottish cities, towns, and rural communities.