Danske expects its employee base to keep trending lower over the next few years as it leans further into automation and artificial intelligence to meet changing customer behavior. The impact will be broad rather than siloed. As Woelders put it, "There's no area within the work that we do that would not be impacted by AI."
Back in May, the bank said it would reduce 262 roles across seven countries, pointing to greater automation and applying AI to simpler tasks as key reasons. It finished June with 19,472 full-time equivalent staff.
Danske has partnered with Amazon Web Services to move older applications as part of a wider tech overhaul. After deploying AI primarily as tools that help employees, it now expects to equip staff with their own agents capable of handling tasks ahead of year-end.
Woelders said AI will also create some new positions, and demand for tech services is strong enough that staffing in that area should stay roughly flat through next year. "This is not the phase in which you see a reduction of people working in technology," he said. "We can do more with the same."
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Danske has about 4,000 developers, and Woelders says AI tools have already lifted their productivity by roughly 40%. The target is a 100% improvement by the end of 2028, effectively doubling what those teams can deliver. Beyond its own ranks, the bank additionally engages roughly 2,000 people via Infosys Ltd.
Across the company, employees currently estimate AI saves about two hours in a standard 40-hour week, a figure Woelders expects to "drastically increase." If that holds, expect more output without a surge in staffing, especially in non-tech roles.
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