The Workforce AI Index · Consumer Cyclical
NIKE, Inc. (NKE)
Footwear brand, counted at headquarters. Read October 1, 2026 from the annual report for the period ending 2026-05-31, filed 2026-07-15. Ranked 14 of the 39 Consumer Cyclical companies read so far, by the share within reach now: the sector.
The filing states approximately 73,000 employees including retail and part-time, with 10,600 at headquarters, and nothing else by workplace, so the patterns follow that count (a) and its description (c).
The figures on this page come from the company's own annual report and from BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. They are estimates with a stated method. Nothing here says what the company will do: within reach is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
What follows from the reading
Share of working time within reach of AI, on the long-run pace at four in five: 20% now, 27% at the end of 2027, 30% at the end of 2028, 31% at the end of 2030. By the patterns, the work is about 31% desk work, 21% people work and 48% body work. These are the site's industry estimates weighted by the shares below: estimates with a stated method and range, not a forecast of what the company will do. By the same patterns, at the end of 2028 about 63% of the working time stays with people (conversation, in-person and hands-on work), 25% becomes checking a model's work and 10% could be handed over with lighter checks, from the industries' own figures, not the company's roles.
Headcount
73,000 employees as of 2026-05-31 (stated). The filing gives no count by country; North America is 45% of revenue.
The filing: “As of May 31, 2026, we had approximately 73,000 employees worldwide, including retail and part-time employees.”
The workforce as industry patterns
| Pattern | Share | Reason, from the filing |
|---|---|---|
| Shoe Retailers | 55% | By description (c): the retail and part-time employees the filing names first in its employee base, the staff of its NIKE Direct stores, with no stated count. |
| Footwear Manufacturing | 30% | By description (c): product design, development, sourcing and the wholesale business outside headquarters, the footwear industry its SIC code names, with no stated count. |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 15% | By stated counts (a): approximately 10,600 employees at the Beaverton headquarters in management, research, design, development, marketing, finance and administration, a stated headquarters headcount under rule 6. |
What the filing says about the workforce: Approximately 73,000 employees worldwide including retail and part-time, down from 77,800; about 10,600 at the global headquarters; independent contractors and temporary personnel also used; most employees not union-represented, with unions and works councils in parts of EMEA and APLA.
What the filing says about AI
10 sentences in the filing name AI. The filing names AI in 10 sentences, as market change and risk: AI and machine learning used by consumers, competitors and platforms, and the need to leverage AI-enabled technologies across its direct and wholesale operations.
- “The markets in which we compete are undergoing continued technological innovation and disruption, including the increased use of artificial intelligence ("AI") and machine learning by consumers, competitors, retailers and digital commerce platforms.”
- “If we cannot innovate, enhance our NIKE Direct platforms, digital services and experiences, or leverage AI-enabled and other new technologies across our direct to consumer and wholesale operations at a pace consistent with consumer expectations and industry developments, our competitive position, consumer engagement, demand for our products, services and experiences, and results of operations c...”
- “In addition, advances in technology, including AI-enabled tools, digital commerce platforms and data analytics, may accelerate shifts in consumer preferences and shorten the windows in which we can identify, design and market products responsive to those preferences.”
- “To remain competitive, we may need to develop, integrate and scale AI-enabled search, discovery, personalization, recommendation and other digital commerce capabilities, including through third-party tools and platforms.”
- “If we are unable to adapt our NIKE Direct platforms and digital experiences to changes in consumer shopping behavior, including increased use of AI-enabled search, comparison-shopping, agentic shopping or other third-party technologies to discover, evaluate or purchase products, our ability to drive traffic, engage consumers and compete effectively could be adversely affected.”
Headcount by filing year
As reported in each year's annual report, with the filing. A year marked not read had no figure the reading could take from the report's text.
| Period | Employees | Filed | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | 73,000 | 2026-07-15 | 10-K |
| 2025-05-31 | 77,800 | 2025-07-17 | 10-K |
| 2024-05-31 | 79,400 | 2024-07-25 | 10-K |
| 2023-05-31 | 83,700 | 2023-07-20 | 10-K |
| 2022-05-31 | 79,100 | 2022-07-21 | 10-K |
| 2021-05-31 | 73,300 | 2021-07-20 | 10-K |
| 2020-05-31 | 75,400 | 2020-07-24 | 10-K |
| 2019-05-31 | 76,700 | 2019-07-23 | 10-K |
| 2018-05-31 | 73,100 | 2018-07-25 | 10-K |
| 2017-05-31 | 74,400 | 2017-07-20 | 10-K |
| 2016-05-31 | 70,700 | 2016-07-21 | 10-K |
| 2015-05-31 | 62,600 | 2015-07-23 | 10-K |
| 2014-05-31 | 56,500 | 2014-07-25 | 10-K |
| 2013-05-31 | 48,000 | 2013-07-23 | 10-K |
| 2012-05-31 | 44,000 | 2012-07-24 | 10-K |
| 2011-05-31 | 38,000 | 2011-07-22 | 10-K |
| 2010-05-31 | 34,400 | 2010-07-20 | 10-K |
| 2009-05-31 | 34,300 | 2009-07-27 | 10-K |
| 2008-05-31 | 32,500 | 2008-07-28 | 10-K |
| 2007-05-31 | 30,200 | 2007-07-27 | 10-K |
| 2006-05-31 | 28,000 | 2006-07-28 | 10-K |
| 2005-05-31 | 26,000 | 2005-07-29 | 10-K |
| 2004-05-31 | 24,667 | 2004-07-30 | 10-K |
| 2003-05-31 | 23,300 | 2003-08-07 | 10-K |
| 2002-05-31 | 22,700 | 2002-08-14 | 10-K |
| 2001-05-31 | 22,700 | 2001-08-09 | 10-K |
| 2000-05-31 | 21,800 | 2000-08-29 | 10-K405 |
Limits of this reading
- The filing counts only its headquarters employees; the split between stores and product work rests on description (c).
- The U.S. share is not stated.
Source: the company's annual report on EDGAR, accession 0000320187-26-000088, the filing. Read by Claude Fable 5.1 under rubric version 1, by the method. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
Questions about this company
- How much of NIKE, Inc.'s working time is within reach of AI?
- An estimated 20% now and 30% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five, from the workforce NIKE, Inc.'s own annual report describes and BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. It is an estimate with a stated method. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings, and it says nothing about what the company will do.
- How many people does NIKE, Inc. employ?
- 73,000 as of May 31, 2026, as its annual report for the period ending May 31, 2026 states.
- What kinds of work make up NIKE, Inc.'s workforce?
- Read from its annual report as a blend of 3 industry staffing patterns, the largest Shoe Retailers; by those patterns the work is about 31% desk work, 21% people work and 48% body work. Each share has a one-sentence reason on this page that can be checked against the filing.
- What does NIKE, Inc.'s annual report say about AI?
- 10 sentences in the filing name AI. They are counted and quoted on this page, never judged: a count says how much a filing talks about AI, not what the company does with it.
- How is this estimated?
- Claude Fable 5.1 read the annual report under the Index's written rubric (version 1) on October 1, 2026: the stated headcount, the share in the U.S. when stated, and the workforce as a blend of industry staffing patterns. The estimates are the site's industry estimates weighted by those shares, from O*NET tasks with estimated lengths and METR's measurements of how long a task AI models can finish. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.