Deutsche Bank expects a third of its German employees to retire within nine years. Its CEO says artificial intelligence will be essential as that wave arrives.
The pressure on employees comes after each departure. Does the bank hire a replacement, move the work to a colleague or redesign the role around AI?
Christian Sewing ties the retirement wave to AI
Chief Executive Christian Sewing expects around 35% of Deutsche Bank staff in Germany to retire over the next eight to nine years, according to Reuters’ September 23 account of his ZEIT podcast remarks. He called AI “absolutely necessary” and said it would be used in almost all areas, including future customer contact.
Sewing gave no German headcount target for the 2030s and no replacement rate for those vacancies. The 35% figure describes expected retirements, while future hiring decisions will determine the size of the workforce.
German staffing had already fallen
The bank’s 2025 annual report lists 33,386 full-time equivalent positions in Germany at year-end, down from 35,160 a year earlier. That is a decline of 1,774. Across the entire group, the workforce edged up from 89,753 to 89,879.
The same report records 939 new hires in Germany and 2,679 in employee turnover during 2025. Those figures show hiring continued while the German workforce became smaller. They do not identify how many departures were retirements or which vacancies stayed open.
The replacement decision is where jobs can disappear
As experienced bankers retire, managers will decide which tasks need another employee. Customer issues, controls and complex decisions still require ownership. Repeated document handling, routine enquiries and internal processing are easier to move into new systems or spread across a smaller team.
The danger for a younger employee may be a role that never opens, a senior colleague who leaves without a successor or a team that inherits more work without more staff. Each business line can make a different choice; a bank-wide percentage cannot tell an individual employee what will happen to their job.
AI is already part of the bank’s cost strategy
In its July second-quarter results, Deutsche Bank said AI could create additional cost savings. It also reported €0.3 billion in operating efficiencies in the first half of 2026, including targeted workforce measures and changes to how teams operate.
Under its earlier €2.5 billion efficiency programme, Deutsche Bank reported that workforce reductions across the group had reached a cumulative 3,500 full-time equivalents by the end of 2024, notably in roles away from customers. The bank said the programme was complete by the end of 2025.
In June, investment-banking technology chief Denis Roux told Reuters that some projects once taking two years were being completed in three to six months. Faster delivery changes the workload; staffing still depends on what the bank funds next.
Which Deutsche Bank employees should ask for a plan
Sewing named future customer contact but did not publish a list of jobs to be removed. These are practical questions for teams whose work may change as older employees leave.
| Work area | What to watch | Question for your manager |
|---|---|---|
| German customer contact | More enquiries handled through digital or AI tools | Who handles the complex cases, and will vacancies be refilled? |
| Operations and processing | Repeated tasks move into new workflows | Will volume targets rise when someone retires? |
| Risk and controls | Automation changes review and escalation work | Who remains accountable for checks and exceptions? |
| Technology teams | AI speeds some delivery and changes skill needs | Can existing staff train and move into funded roles? |
Watch Germany separately from the global total
The 2025 figures show why the worldwide number alone can mislead employees in Frankfurt or another German office: the group grew by 126 full-time equivalent positions while Germany fell by 1,774. Growth in one region can sit alongside a smaller team in another.
For the next few quarters, compare German headcount, local job postings, graduate and apprentice intake, transfer opportunities and replacement hiring. A steady global total will not answer whether your team is being rebuilt.
Ask about the vacancy before it closes
When someone announces a retirement, ask who will own their clients, controls and unresolved work. Ask whether the position will be posted, when a successor will be chosen and what training is funded for people already on the team.
Watch the sequence rather than a single announcement: a departure, a delayed requisition, duties moved to colleagues, then a changed role description. Put the decisions and dates in writing when possible.
Prepare while you still have choices
Record the processes you know, the failures you prevent and the work only you can explain. Update your résumé with results you can describe outside the bank. Keep only records you are permitted to retain.
Look for internal roles tied to customer judgment, technology oversight and new services. If the bank cannot explain a route from your current role to that work, start building options outside it.
Three free tools for the next decision
Use the free two-minute Job Threat Check to examine pressure around your role, team and manager.
Get the free Weekly Layoff Intelligence Report for verified banking workforce signals and what employees can track next.
Use the free Layoff Tracker + Corporate Stress Index to follow Deutsche Bank alongside other major employers using public evidence.
Sources and evidence
Sources reviewed September 23, 2026. Sewing’s retirement and AI remarks come from Reuters’ account of his ZEIT podcast appearance. Deutsche Bank’s filings provide the historical staffing figures and published cost measures. The questions about future replacement decisions are our analysis.
- Reuters: Deutsche Bank retirement forecast and AI comments — September 23 reporting on Sewing’s ZEIT podcast remarks, hosted by Euronext.
- Deutsche Bank: Annual Report 2025 — German and global FTE counts on pages 327–328; new hires and turnover by region on page 330.
- Deutsche Bank: Second-quarter 2026 results — CEO’s AI cost-savings comment and first-half operating efficiencies.
- Deutsche Bank: Full-year 2024 results — The efficiency programme had reached 3,500 cumulative FTE reductions by the end of 2024.
- Deutsche Bank: Full-year 2025 results — Efficiency programme and workforce reductions in non-client-facing roles.
- Reuters via CNA: Deutsche Bank technology projects and AI — June Reuters interview with investment-banking technology chief Denis Roux.
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Harj Singh, The Host, is an ex-banker and former Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 sales leader. He lost his job twice in five years and built The Grind Hotline to help employees see pressure earlier.
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Important Disclaimer
This article provides general workplace information based on public documents and credited reporting. It cannot predict an individual employment outcome or replace legal, financial or career advice.