Walmart to cut 1,500 corporate jobs in cost-cutting restructuring

Bentonville-based Walmart confirmed Wednesday (May 21) it will cut 1,500 jobs within its U.S. and global technology businesses. Those losing jobs will be paid through August and may apply for other company roles if they so choose.

Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner and Suresh Kumar, global chief technology officer, made the announcement in an internal email on Wednesday, which was made available to Talk Business & Politics.

Walmart is characterizing the cutbacks as a reshaping of its workforce in order to remove layers and complexity and speed up decision-making and help employees innovate more rapidly.

“We are eliminating roles as well as opening some new roles aligned with our business priorities and growth strategy,” the email noted.

Walmart U.S. is making changes to its end-to-end operations team and is also evolving the structure of its Walmart Connect marketing organization to better position the retailer to grow that business. Walmart’s end-to-end team supports every aspect of the business, driving growth and innovation from supply chain, operations and e-commerce, according to the retailer’s website.

Walmart completed the $2.3 billion acquisition of Vizio in December and while that business has been run separately, analysts expect it will at some point be integrated into Walmart’s media business.

The global technology unit also is removing layers within its structure to facilitate speed, according to the email. Kumar said technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and reshaping Walmart’s structure allows the retailer to accelerate how it delivers and adapts to the changing environment.

The job cuts come as Walmart reported mixed results in its first quarter but also achieved a U.S. comp store sales gain of 4.5%. Sam’s Club also outperformed with comp sales growth at 6.7%. Walmart cautioned investors that unless more favorable trade agreements are soon in the tariff dispute with China and other major trading partners, it would be forced to raise prices on some items as soon as June.

Walmart employs about 15,000 people in its corporate operations in Bentonville. The 1,500 jobs represent about 10% of that local workforce.

One year ago, ​​Walmart cut hundreds of jobs in its merchandising operations and global tech units. Walmart also closed smaller corporate hubs, requiring employees to relocate to San Bruno, Calif., Seattle, or Bentonville. In January 2024, Walmart shuttered its Store No. 8 tech incubator that employed about 300 people who were moved into other jobs within the technology and business innovations divisions.