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Walmart (WMT+0.77%) is eliminating roughly 1,500 jobs, the Wall Street Journal reported, in what CEO John Furner described as “opportunities to remove layers and complexity” in a memo to staff titled “Building the Future.”
The layoffs will hit the retailer’s corporate and technological divisions, including e-commerce. The company employs 1.6 million people worldwide.
The company had an excellent year in 2024, its best since 1998, but the retail giant issued conservative guidance for 2025.
The news of new layoffs comes a week after the world’s largest retailer said it would be raising prices due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. One-third of Walmart products are imported from countries targeted by ever-changing federal levies, notably China, Mexico, and Canada.
Trump pushed back in characteristic fashion, telling the company — in all-caps, naturally — to “EAT THE TARIFFS,” even while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted that tariffs inevitably increase prices for American consumers. That’s how tariffs work, but Trump’s Walmart comments are evidence that he either doesn’t really understand the company’s business model, or simply expects Walmart to bite the bullet as a gesture to his administration.
A Walmart spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the layoffs “reflect a focus on business priorities and our growth strategy, and are not related to tariffs.”
Walmart wages rose last year for store managers, new workers, and Sam’s Club employees. In January 2024, Walmart announced new stores and promised more jobs. And on April 30 this year, it opened what it called a “next-generation supercenter” in Cypress, Texas, where Furner said, “This isn’t just a ribbon cutting. It’s a commitment to the future, an investment in a community and new job opportunities.”