Nike to cut nearly 1,000 jobs in second layoff round

Nike Inc. says it plans to reduce its corporate headcount by just under 1% as part of its turnaround strategy under chief executive Elliott Hill, marking the company’s second round of layoffs this year.

The company said the cuts are tied to a broader effort to restructure the business. The latest reduction comes after Nike announced in February that it would eliminate about 1,600 roles — around 2% of its total workforce — as it sought to cut costs amid weakening demand.

As of May 31, 2025, Nike employed about 77,800 people worldwide, including retail staff and part-time workers.

Under Hill, Nike has been investing in its running shoe and trainer lines in an effort to regain lost market share. The company has also placed emphasis on rebuilding relationships with retailers and expanding its physical store presence as competition intensifies.

The latest move follows comments Hill made in June, when he said Nike planned to “reorganise” around cross-functional teams aligned by sport, and to reduce reliance on production in China for the US market in order to soften the impact of import tariffs. Those remarks came after Nike said it expected first-quarter revenue to fall less than previously forecast.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Nike said the new structure is designed to put sport and sports culture back at the centre of the company, allowing it to connect more deeply with athletes and consumers. It added that the layoffs would not affect its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business or the Converse brand, though the company did not specify exactly how many roles would be impacted.