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The layoffs will impact employees at its headquarters in Bentonville as well as staff in other US office locations, including those within the company’s global technology team.
The latest Walmart layoffs are reportedly part of its cost-cutting and organisational streamlining efforts.
Retail giant Walmart is set to eliminate around 1,500 corporate roles in the United States as part of its cost-cutting and organisational streamlining efforts, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The layoffs will impact employees at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as staff in other US office locations, including those within the company’s global technology team, as per Bloomberg.
The move, aimed at improving decision-making efficiency and reducing expenses, has reignited the long-running H1B visa debate in the US.
Tech Layoffs and the H1B Controversy
The job cuts, particularly in the tech division, have triggered criticism on social media, with some voices suggesting that US workers are being replaced or sidelined in favor of cheaper H1B visa holders, many of whom are of Indian origin.
The H1B visa programme allows skilled foreign workers to be employed in the US, especially in fields like IT. Indians make up the largest share of H1B visa holders. However, concerns have been raised over its misuse, with allegations that some companies hire H1B workers to temporarily fill roles and then outsource those jobs offshore, often to India.
Social Media Reactions: Job Loss and Xenophobia
On X and forums like TheLayoff.com, the response has been heated. Some users accused Walmart of replacing American employees with foreign workers, while others criticized what they saw as xenophobic or racially charged rhetoric.
“Oh, guess what? The large layoffs today at Walmart… are from its technology team. You know, the kind of US worker who’s replaced by H1B,” read one post.
“1500. Wow that’s a bloodbath. How many H-1Bs are they bringing in next year?” asked another user.
A thread on TheLayoff.com went further, with one commenter stating that walking into Walmart’s David Glass Technology Center (DGTC) felt “like stepping out of an airport in India”. The same user accused Indian employees of not integrating culturally or linguistically.
The user wrote: “The problem with the H1B topic is that if you walk into DGTC (David Glass Technology Center), you might as well have stepped out of an airport in India. They don’t even have the common respect to speak English while at the office.”
He further claimed: “They’re also taking jobs away from US citizens. All the while they’re sending their money back to India and refusing to assimilate into our society.”
These remarks sparked both agreement and backlash, reflecting the polarized nature of the discussion. Several users pushed back against the xenophobic tone, arguing the real issue is outsourcing by American companies, not the H1B visa holders themselves.
One user responded: “Stop hating H1B people folks — No new H1B hires in Sunnyvale since 2024. The main issue isn’t H1B, but outsourcing. It’s US companies outsourcing for cheaper labor that’s impacting jobs, not the visa holders.”
Another comment, which was heavily downvoted, added a political dimension: “There’s no reason to resort to racism. If you’re looking for someone to hold accountable, consider Trump — these layoffs are a result of the tariffs.”
Interestingly, not all Indian workers were spared by the job cuts. One commenter noted that even some Indian employees were laid off, indicating that the downsizing was more broad-based than targeted.
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