{
  "id": 18283822,
  "title": "Royal London plans IT outsourcing shake-up as staff brace for redundancies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/royal-london-plans-it-outsourcing-shake-up-as-staff-brace-for-18283822",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-05T09:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register",
    "slug": "the-register",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/on-prem/2026/11/05/royal-london-plans-it-outsourcing-shake-up-as-staff-brace-for-redundancies/5307481"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Royal London is set to shed hundreds of IT jobs and transfer operations to India under a new outsourcing agreement with IBM, according to sources. The insurance and pensions company has partnered with IBM to outsource a significant portion of its technology operations. This move comes after Royal London's chief technology officer informed staff in September about the collaboration. A consultation process is expected to follow the announcement. Royal London's spokesperson stated that the company remains accountable for service delivery and regulatory requirements while working with IBM, emphasizing its commitment to maintaining the continuity and quality of service for customers.\n\nThe exact number of UK IT roles at risk remains unclear, though a Glassdoor review from October suggested that numerous positions in the technology operations division were being eliminated. Reviewers expressed concerns about the loss of valuable knowledge and questioned the company's grasp of the challenges involved in transferring operations to IBM, particularly as teams are being reduced to a fraction of their former size. Royal London acknowledged these concerns, assuring employees that channels have been established for them to voice their worries.\n\nOther reviews from October criticized the handling of the outsourcing and Royal London's adherence to its mutual values. One October 12 reviewer, an IT infrastructure employee, criticized the sudden outsourcing, stating that it contradicted the company's values and raising questions about its direction amidst reports of a hiring freeze and potential additional cuts. A review posted on October 20 highlighted the IBM deal as the latest outsourcing decision following an earlier move to transfer servicing jobs to South Africa, questioning the mutual values of the business when it comes to such decisions.\n\nThe planned cuts coincide with Royal London's rising profits. In the first half of 2026, the company reported an adjusted group operating profit of £187 million, a 13 percent increase year-on-year. Chief executive Barry O Dwyer highlighted the £199 million distributed to eligible customers through ProfitShare in April. However, employees facing redundancy before Christmas may find it harder to appreciate the benefits of the company's success. The Reg has reached out to IBM for comment.",
  "summary": "IBM deal could see tech jobs shipped to India, with cuts expected before Christmas",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}