Barclays plans to lay off 5,000 people and expand AI applications

According to the Korea Herald, global investment bank Barclays plans to cut 5,000 jobs, about 5% of the company's total positions, while expanding the application of artificial intelligence. This includes 1,000 positions already cut in the first half of this year, with 60% of the layoffs coming from support departments such as developers. Barclays CEO Venkat Krishnamurthy stated in a conference call that the company will apply AI on a large scale, and said, "AI is not the cake, but the frosting on the cake."

Previously, Barclays announced a cost-cutting plan in February, but some investors reacted negatively to the scale of costs shown in its semi-annual report. Among peers, HSBC is considering cutting up to 20,000 jobs over the next few years, while Standard Chartered plans to reduce support department positions by more than 15% by 2030.