Reports are circulating that Walmart will layoff as many as 1,000 workers at its Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters and in regional offices. Many or most of those jobs will be in human resources, the reports say.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the layoffs, which are planned to occur before the end of this month. The Journal cited anonymous sources who claimed the giant retailer was considering outsourcing HR functions for its 1.4 million U.S. workers.
In a statement to Fortune, Walmart spokesman Greg Hitt said, “As we’ve previously shared, we are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently and effectively.” However, his statement did not confirm or deny the reported layoffs.
If the layoffs occur, it would be the second layoff in the last six months. In September, the company cut about 7,000 backoffice positions, giving the workers the option to move into other jobs in customer service roles in the stores.