Wal-Mart to cut 7K back-office store jobs, report says

<p>Walmart is eliminating about 7,000 office jobs at stores around the country. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/wal-mart-to-cut-7-000-back-office-store-jobs-1472743429" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal reports</a> that the retail giant plans to get rid of accounting and invoicing positions at its stores. Starting next year, those will be handled at a central office or by new money-counting "cash recycler" machines.</p><p>Long-term employees usually hold these jobs, and they are often higher-paying than most other retail positions. </p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/amazon-s-brick-and-mortar-bookstores-are-expanding/">Amazon Has Brick-And-Mortar Bookstores — And They're Expanding</a></b></p><p>The company has said that many of those employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to consumer-facing roles. However, a Walmart spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal that she couldn't confirm the employees would be able to keep their current wage level. </p><p>Walmart has created several initiatives for increasing employees pay. Workers can complete a six-month training program and be boosted to a minimum $10 an hour wage. <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/more-than-1m-wal-mart-workers-are-getting-a-raise/" target="_blank">Those raises</a> cost the company $2.7 billion. </p><p>The company also cut <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/10/02/walmart-ceo-layoffs/" target="_blank">450 jobs</a> at its headquarter in Bentonville, Arkansas, last year. </p><p>Recently, Walmart has focused on making more employees available to interact with customers in stores. </p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/walmart-buys-jet-com-for-3-billion/">Watch Out, Amazon: Walmart Is Coming For You</a></b></p><p>It has even switched from stocking shelves overnight to busier times throughout the day. </p><p>And Walmart says it's paying off. At a shareholder meeting in June, the company claimed customer satisfaction has risen for the last 79 weeks in a row. </p><p>Walmart is the largest private employer in the U.S. and, <a href="http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/our-business" target="_blank">according to its website</a>, has 1.5 million workers domestically and nearly 2.3 million worldwide.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/coca-cola-says-it-replenished-all-the-water-it-used-in-2015/">Coca-Cola Replenished All The Water It Used In 2015 — Kind Of</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/amazon-is-experimenting-with-a-shorter-work-week/">Amazon Is Experimenting With A Shorter Work Week For Some Employees</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/bar-soap-sales-and-use-have-decreased/">Down The Drain? Bar Soap Sales (And Use) Have Decreased</a></li></ul>