Ecco layoffs and AI

Not according to Ecco. It named no AI reason for its November 2026 cut, citing overcapacity and a drive to cut its production costs, moving production to its factories in Indonesia, Thailand and China. No credible outlet or named analyst linked the cut to AI, so it is not in the register of AI-linked job cuts.

Ecco is closing its shoe factories in Portugal, which has 650 employees, and Vietnam, which has 1,400, and cutting 400 other positions in its global and regional functions by the end of 2026, 80 of them in Denmark; Danish media put the total at more than 2,400 jobs. It was announced in November 2026. About 2,400 roles, by press reports. Ecco did not put the number on the record itself.

Ecco cited overcapacity and a drive to cut its production costs, moving production to its factories in Indonesia, Thailand and China. In its own words: "Ecco fortsætter fremover sin produktion på fabrikkerne i Indonesien, Thailand og Kina for at tilpasse produktionskapaciteten til efterspørgslen" (Ecco will continue its production at the factories in Indonesia, Thailand and China to adapt production capacity to demand.) (Ecco, in its press release of 2 November 2026, quoted by Ritzau (TV 2)).