Walmart achieved a revenue increase of over 150 billion US dollars in the past five years, while the number of global employees fell by around 70,000. The largest private employer in the USA currently employs 2.17 million people – as many as a decade ago.

While competitors like Amazon, Costco, or Home Depot created tens of thousands of jobs, Walmart is specifically using automation to increase productivity without additional staff. In the USA, the number of employees remained almost constant at around 1.6 million, although domestic sales increased by 36 percent since 2019.

Central technologies such as artificial intelligence, automated conveyor systems, and algorithm-driven sorting systems are the focus of modernization. In two recently opened logistics centers near Dallas, Walmart demonstrated its new systems: In a 730,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse, a robot compound works with 600 employees – a ratio of one person per 1,200 square feet. The efficiency is twice as high as in conventional cold stores, and costs decrease by 20 percent.

Also in the new e-commerce center DFW-5 with 1.5 million square feet of space and 650 employees, the workflow was reduced from twelve to five steps. A machine automatically constructs the shipping boxes based on product data – previously a manual task.

Despite billions in technology investments, management emphasizes that new areas of activity are emerging. CEO Doug McMillon said in April: "Jobs are changing – not disappearing." Walmart still plans to employ a "large number of people." Around 13,000 employees are expected in Arkansas this week for the annual Associates Week – a symbol of the company's enduring culture.

Nevertheless, the downside of the transformation is evident: In Fort Worth, over 1,000 jobs were cut when an old warehouse was replaced by the new center. Public subsidies at the locations were partially withdrawn as real estate value promises were not met. Analysts like Steven Shemesh (RBC) assume that automation will further reduce the number of employees in the logistics chain in the medium term.

Robotics from warehouses also enables more efficient processes in the branches: Deliveries can be placed directly on the shelves, saving five employees per branch. Although Walmart announced the opening of 150 new supercenters in the USA, according to Chief People Officer Donna Morris, the total number of employees will hardly change in the long term.

Industry expert Nelson Lichtenstein summarizes: "Walmart de facto sets the wage standard in the American service sector—and increasingly without new jobs.