Walmart has indicated that its workforce of 2.1 million employees will remain steady over the next few years, even as the company’s revenue continues to grow, due to the impact of AI on the workplace.
The company, which is America’s biggest private employer, revealed their head count will remain flat for up to five years earlier this month.
Walmart US president John Furner was speaking at a conference in Utah when he made the stark admission.
The company anticipates that in two to five years, they will maintain approximately the same number of employees as today, but with a larger business footprint.
Earlier this week, chief executive Doug McMillon said artificial intelligence would wipe out jobs as the company reshapes its workforce.
‘It’s very clear that AI is going to change literally every job. Maybe there’s a job in the world that AI won’t change, but I haven’t thought of it.’
McMillon shared these insights alongside OpenAI’s chief economist Ronnie Chatterji during a conference at Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas. Chatterji highlighted that AI could significantly disrupt the job market in the upcoming 18 to 36 months.
He said: ‘AI is just starting to ripple through the job market. I think 18 to 36 months, you’re going to see a lot more impact.’
Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon, seen here, said artificial intelligence would wipe out jobs
Walmart said its 2.1 million-person workforce will remain stagnant over the coming years despite continued revenue growth
The multinational, worth $820 billion, has remained adamant that ‘the work will shift’ rather than having to cut the workforce.
In the past year, Walmart has ramped up its use of AI, making significant hires, launching new initiatives, and acknowledging that AI technology is a permanent feature.
Furner added: ‘I don’t think we see a path of being lower than what it is today. I think it’s just the work is gonna change.’
In July of this year, however, the company was accused of slashing store-support and training jobs because of AI.
The company has made cuts in roles such as coaches and coordinators at Walmart Academy, a program designed to support career growth for its 2.1 million employees.
In September, Walmart’s chief people officer, Donna Morris, announced a partnership with OpenAI to create a tailor-made training program focused on AI.
Morris wrote: ‘Through Walmart Academy, the largest private training program in the world with over 3.5 million participants, associates will have free access to a tailored version of this certification.
This training is designed to help you at work and in your personal life in an increasingly digital world.’
Walmart US president John Furner admitted that ‘the work is gonna change’ going forward
In July of this year, the company was accused of slashing store-support and training jobs because of AI
Furner predicted that Walmart would create jobs over the next two years that do not exist today
Walmart employees logged about 5.5million training hours on the academy program in 2023, the company said.
Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, said the technology will ‘help companies operate more efficiently, give anyone the power to turn their ideas into income and create jobs that don’t even exist today.’
However, he also cautioned that it could be disruptive and everyone ‘will have to learn how to work in new ways.’
About 40 percent of employers anticipate ‘reducing their workforce’ in favor of AI, according to a World Economic Forum survey published in January 2025.
Morris previously told Business Insider that she used AI to identify potential job candidates, although Walmart added that her example was not ‘part of a broader companywide approach to source candidates.’
Still, the company has increasingly adopted AI.
In September, Walmart partnered with OpenAI to develop a ‘customized’ training program centered around artificial intelligence
In June, Walmart announced that it would make a real-time translation feature in 44 languages available to its employees as part of a ‘powerful new suite of AI tools designed to elevate their roles and experience.’
This summer, Daniel Danker was also hired as executive vice president of AI acceleration, product and design.
Furner, the Walmart US president, predicted that the company would create jobs over the next two years that do not exist today.
He said: ‘I have a job called agent builder. That’s a group of people in the office who are building agents. If you’d asked me a year ago what that is, we wouldn’t have been talking about that as a new role.’
The company expects to add bakers or truck drivers, as well.
Other multi-million dollar companies also believe that their employees can survive the widespread use of AI by learning relevant new skills and adapting to the increasingly influential technology.
Joe Baratta, global head of Blackstone’s private equity strategies, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘I think the history of technology innovation is that people have re-skilled and have found gainful employment in other aspects of the economy.’
