Sportswear giant Nike announced today it is laying off 500 workers at its Washington County, Oregon headquarters, as part of 1,750 job cuts.
The layoffs represent 5% of Nike’s 35,000 workers worldwide. The firm is offering severance packages.
Nike is a major publicly traded sportswear & equipment supplier based in Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of $18.6 billion in fiscal 2008.
Nike has been criticized for contracting with factories in countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico, which violate child labor, minimum wage and overtime laws.