Wal-Mart Reportedly Cutting 1,000 Office Jobs After Raising Store Worker Wages

Just one day after announcing that it would raise starting wages for its hourly workers, a report said Wal-Mart is planning to eliminate more than 1,000 jobs, mostly at its headquarters. The cuts, which are expected to be completed this month, were reported by the Wall Street Journal. A Wal-Mart spokesperson would not confirm the planned cuts, but did say the company had been “looking at our structure for some time as we explore ways to operate more effectively.” In addition to the corporate job cuts, Wal-Mart has also announced the closure of 63 of its Sam’s Club warehouse locations, which will mean as many as 11,000 lost jobs. The Journal frames the restructuring as part of Wal-Mart’s efforts to respond to Amazon, which aggressively expanded with its 2017 purchase of Whole Foods. Rumors have also been swirling that Amazon could make a bid this year for Target, a big-box retailer that directly competes with Wal-Mart. Read more at Fortune.