Nike's Layoff Wave Continues, 1,400 Workers Affected

Jakarta – Global sportswear giant Nike is once again in the spotlight after announcing its latest wave of redundancies. The company will cut around 1,400 jobs across various divisions, with the majority affecting the technology division.

This step forms part of a major strategy dubbed “Win Now”, designed to overhaul the company’s internal structure while accelerating business transformation amid fierce competition in the global sports industry.

In an internal memo from Chief Operating Officer Venkatesh Alagirisamy, Nike explained that these changes target several strategic areas, from modernising Air production to relocating parts of Converse footwear operations and integrating the material supply chain into the shoe and apparel units.

“Overall, these changes will result in the reduction of approximately 1,400 positions in global operations, with the majority in technology,” wrote Alagirisamy, as quoted from CNBC on Friday, 24 April 2026.

“This is not a new direction,” Alagirisamy added. “It is the next phase of work that has been ongoing.”

The statement emphasises that this decision is not mere routine efficiency but part of a major restructuring that has been underway for some time.

Nike also stressed that these redundancies aim to strengthen the company’s position to be more adaptive to the fast-evolving sports industry. A company spokesperson described the decision as part of efforts to boost long-term growth.

This latest layoff wave did not come out of the blue. In January, Nike had already cut around 775 jobs, mainly at distribution centres in the United States. At the time, the company described the move as part of enhancing operational automation.

Looking further back, Nike had also implemented smaller cuts last summer, impacting less than 1 per cent of its global corporate workforce. All these steps are described as part of a long-term strategy to return to a more stable growth trajectory.

CEO Elliott Hill is leading the company’s major transformation efforts following a prolonged period of sales decline. Although some signs of recovery are emerging, market pressures remain a primary challenge.