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Novo Nordisk confirms 9,000 job cuts globally amid restructuring
Novo Nordisk to cut 9,000 jobs, over 10% of its workforce, to simplify operations and reinvest in growth areas like diabetes and obesity treatments.
After implementing a global hiring freeze last month, Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, has announced plans to lay off 9,000 employees—over 11% of its 78,400-strong global workforce—as part of a company-wide transformation aimed at streamlining operations and investing in growth areas.
The restructuring will impact around 5,000 employees in Denmark, the company said. The move is expected to deliver annualised savings of about DKK 8 billion by 2026, which will be redirected towards diabetes and obesity treatments, commercial execution, and R&D initiatives. The company said the transformation will simplify its organisation, speed up decision-making, and strengthen its focus on performance culture and cost efficiencies.
Mike Doustdar, President and CEO of Novo Nordisk, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, noting that the company must evolve to remain competitive in the fast-changing and consumer-driven obesity market. “It is always difficult to see talented and valued colleagues go, but we are convinced this is the right step for long-term success,” he said.
The layoffs follow years of rapid scaling that increased organisational complexity and costs. Novo Nordisk expects one-off restructuring costs of around DKK 9 billion in Q3 2025, partially offset by savings of DKK 1 billion in Q4, resulting in a 6 percentage point hit to full-year operating profit growth.
The company said it will begin communicating with affected employees over the coming months, subject to local labour regulations.
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