<p>Telecoms group reports £1.1bn pre-tax profit in six months to end of September and share price touches five-year high</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/nov/05/bank-of-england-interest-rate-decision-pound-inflation-oil-iran-stock-markets-latest-news-updates">Business live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>BT has cut almost 8,000 jobs from its workforce since the end of March, as it pushes ahead with sweeping cost cuts across the business.</p><p>The telecoms group said its workforce had fallen by 7,731 to 90,000, excluding staff in its international business, which is being spun out in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/29/bt-verizon-joint-venture-deal-telecoms-international">a joint venture</a> with the US telecoms company Verizon. It had a workforce, including contractors, of about 130,000 people two years ago.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/05/bt-cuts-jobs-cost-saving-programme-profit-share-price">Continue reading...</a>