Nike Layoffs Affect 1% of Corporate Workers in Latest Round of Job Cuts

Nike cut approximately 1% of its corporate workforce in August 2025, affecting U.S. and Canada corporate employees as part of a third round of layoffs since early 2024. This follows the company's February 2024 reduction of 1,600+ employees and May 2025 tech layoffs, all driven by CEO Elliott Hill's restructuring effort to refocus Nike on sports performance rather than lifestyle fashion.

If you were affected by the Nike layoffs and are now job searching, the first move is rewriting your resume around the language recruiters in apparel, retail, and consumer goods are actually searching for.

Another Wave of Nike Job Cuts

Nike's August 2025 corporate layoffs mark the third round of job cuts since early 2024. The company cut more than 1,600 employees in February 2024 as part of a $2 billion cost-reduction plan, approximately 740 of those cuts hit Nike's Oregon headquarters between April and June 2024. The company then laid off tech workers in May 2025, outsourcing some technology functions to third-party vendors as part of the ongoing restructuring.

The August 2025 round targets corporate employees in the U.S. and Canada. Nike explicitly excluded its Europe operations and the Converse brand from this wave. The company declined to specify the exact headcount affected from its roughly 77,800 global workforce, but the 1% corporate estimate places the number in the hundreds.

Nike told workers to work from home during the decision period. "We're reorganizing the company," Nike said in an announcement to employees. "These moves will help us win and create Nike's next chapter."

Why Is Nike Struggling Financially?

Nike's layoffs reflect genuine financial pressure. Revenue dropped 10% in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 to $11.6 billion, and the company's stock has declined significantly as sales continue falling across multiple quarters. Nike also faces a $1 billion estimated cost from new U.S. tariffs in 2025, compounding margin pressure from declining volumes.

The more structural challenge is competitive. On Running, the Swiss performance footwear brand, reported 40% sales growth in the same period Nike's revenue dropped. Hoka continues taking market share in running and outdoor categories. Both brands positioned themselves around sports performance and function, exactly where Nike had ceded ground by over-indexing on lifestyle products like Air Force 1s and Dunks for years.

Outgoing leadership had, in Hill's own assessment, caused Nike to "lose our obsession with sport." The pivot away from performance toward streetwear and lifestyle positioned Nike against brands like Adidas and New Balance in a crowded fashion market, while leaving athletic performance categories increasingly exposed to specialist competitors.

How Elliott Hill Is Trying to Turn Nike Around

Elliott Hill became Nike's CEO in October 2024, returning to the company after a 32-year career there. His turnaround strategy centers on three pillars: organizational restructuring, leadership changes, and commercial strategy shifts.

On structure: Hill is eliminating the men's, women's, and kids' divisional model and replacing it with sport-focused teams. "Nike, Jordan, and Converse teams will work every day to create the best products for specific athletes," Hill said in a June 2025 announcement. The reorganization is designed to bring decision-making closer to the specific performance context, running, basketball, soccer, training, rather than demographic segmentation.

On leadership: Hill promoted Amy Montagne to president of Nike and elevated Phil McCartney to chief innovation officer. Several longtime executives departed or were replaced as part of the restructuring. These changes signal that Hill is building a leadership team aligned with the performance-first vision rather than managing transitions from the previous strategy.

On commercial strategy: Nike returned to Amazon after a six-year absence and formed new partnerships with retailers like Aritzia and Urban Outfitters. The Amazon return is significant, Nike had pulled out in 2019 to maintain brand control, but the revenue pressure has prompted a broader distribution reconsideration.

"Change can be difficult," Nike's leadership team wrote to employees during the August announcement. "But it also sharpens the edge and sets up the win."

What This Means for Nike Employees and Job Seekers

Affected Nike employees were notified by September 8, 2025, with changes taking effect September 21. If you were laid off from Nike or another company recently, preparation speed matters: the first 30 days after a layoff are when most people do the least and regret it most. Start by updating your resume, activating your LinkedIn network with a clear message about what you're looking for, and beginning interview practice with an AI mock interview tool before you start receiving callbacks.

Nike's restructuring also creates hiring opportunities at competitors and adjacent companies. On Running, Hoka parent Deckers, Adidas, Under Armour, and the growing direct-to-consumer sportswear brands are all actively hiring the type of talent Nike is releasing, particularly in marketing, product development, supply chain, and digital commerce.

The October 2026 Pace restructuring, and the number Nike will not give

On October 1, 2026, alongside first-quarter fiscal 2027 results, Nike announced a broader restructuring it calls Pace. The company told investors the program is expected to deliver roughly $2.5 billion in cumulative savings through fiscal 2031, with about $1 billion in pre-tax charges over the same period, most of it employee-related. Roughly $300 million of that falls in fiscal 2027, on top of about $300 million in severance already recognized in fiscal 2026.

Nike has not disclosed how many jobs Pace eliminates. Chief executive Elliott Hill said the company does not yet know the specific number or the locations, that the work will result in fewer roles over time, and that any reports about specific figures are speculative. Decisions about affected positions begin in 2027 and continue beyond that, with teams expected to move into the new structure in fiscal 2028. Treat any headcount circulating now as an estimate someone derived from the charge figures, not as a company announcement. If you are inside a company that has signalled cuts without naming them, the practical sequence for getting ahead of it is in our guide to landing your next role after a layoff.

The structural change is far more concrete than the headcount. Nike is reorganizing into three regions, Americas, Asia Pacific and Greater China, and EMEA, with the Asia Pacific and Greater China leadership team based in Singapore and some roles that currently support that region from Beaverton moving closer to the markets they serve. The financial backdrop explains the urgency: first-quarter China revenue fell 26 percent on a constant-currency basis, and the stock has lost roughly 45 percent of its value this year. It is a pattern that recurs across the 2026 cuts tracked in our analysis of what the 2025 and 2026 layoff data actually shows, where profitable and recovering companies restructure as readily as struggling ones.

If you work at Nike and have not been notified, the honest read on this timeline is that it is long. Notification starting in 2027 and a structure landing in fiscal 2028 describes a slow-moving process rather than a single announcement day. That gives people considerably more runway than a typical 60-day notice cycle, but it also means a longer stretch of not knowing, which is its own kind of difficult to plan around.

What the filing adds about timing and scope

One detail changes how to read the $2.5 billion. Pace includes and builds upon a cost realignment plan Nike announced in March 2026, so the savings target is not an entirely new program stacked on top of the old one. Part of what Pace counts was already in motion before October 1.

There is also a date worth putting in your calendar if you work there. Nike has said it will give more detail on the restructuring at its Investor Day on November 16 and 17, 2026. That is the next point at which the company is likely to say anything concrete about scope, and it falls well before the 2027 window in which individual notifications are expected to begin.

How Pace compares with Nike’s earlier rounds

Set against the previous three rounds, Pace is different in kind rather than in degree. February 2024 cut more than 1,600 employees under a $2 billion cost-reduction plan, with roughly 740 of those falling on the Oregon headquarters between April and June of that year. August 2025 took about 1 percent of corporate staff across the United States and Canada, with notifications complete by September 8 and separations effective September 21. Both were bounded events: a number, a notification window, an effective date.

Pace has none of those boundaries yet. It is a multi-year operating-model change with a savings target attached, and the job losses are a consequence of the redesign rather than the headline of it. That is why the company can credibly say it does not know the number, and it is also why the usual signals employees rely on, a WARN filing or a scheduled all-hands, will not arrive on the timeline people expect. Workers in roles that support Asia Pacific and Greater China from Beaverton have the clearest read on their own exposure, because the relocation of that support function to Singapore is already stated company policy rather than a projection.

Related Layoff and Career Guides

• Signs of a Layoff Coming, Warning indicators that layoffs may be ahead and how to prepare before they hit.
• Is It Better to Quit or Be Fired?, What the evidence says about severance, unemployment benefits, and career trajectory after each outcome.
• McKinsey Layoffs Explained, How consulting and professional services layoffs compare to corporate restructuring at product companies like Nike.
• Cigna Layoffs 2026, The latest round of corporate restructuring across healthcare and consumer sectors.

If you're navigating a job search after the Nike layoffs or any corporate restructuring, join the Final Round AI community where candidates share job search strategies, interview tips, and hiring insights across every industry. Browse layoffs and job market news for the latest updates on corporate restructuring in 2026.

Many candidates use AI for final round interviews to prepare for questions exactly like these.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are companies conducting mass layoffs in 2025?

Companies are cutting jobs in 2025 primarily because of AI-driven efficiency gains, post-pandemic overcorrections in hiring, tighter access to capital, and pressure from investors to improve profitability. Many organizations that expanded headcount rapidly between 2020 and 2022 are now rightsizing. In some industries, AI tools are directly replacing roles in customer support, data entry, and basic software development.

What should employees do immediately after being laid off?

File for unemployment benefits right away and review your severance agreement before signing, as some packages can be negotiated. Update your resume and LinkedIn profile within the first week and reach out to your professional network early. Most jobs are found through referrals, so proactive outreach consistently outperforms cold applications. Focus your energy on roles that match your strongest and most current skills.

How long does a typical job search take after a layoff in 2025?

The average job search after a layoff takes two to four months, though this varies by industry, location, and experience level. Senior professionals in specialized fields may face longer timelines due to fewer open roles. Candidates who network actively, apply to targeted lists rather than mass-applying, and prepare thoroughly for interviews consistently reduce their search time compared to those who take a passive approach.

Are there industries that are still hiring during widespread layoffs?

Yes. Healthcare, cybersecurity, AI infrastructure, government contracting, and skilled trades continue to hire actively even during broader economic downturns. Within tech companies conducting layoffs, revenue-generating teams in sales, product engineering, and AI research often continue to grow. Candidates who can demonstrate skills in high-demand areas move faster through hiring pipelines than generalists with broader but less specific experience.