Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is charging forward into an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and demographic shifts are dramatically reshaping the American workforce. At its sprawling headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, the retail giant recently hosted more than 300 workplace experts and company representatives for the Skills-First Workforce Initiative, a collaborative project aiming to develop and fill stable jobs based on skills rather than college credentials. The event, held on September 25, 2025, underscored Walmart’s commitment to preparing its 2.1 million global employees for a future where AI is not just a buzzword, but a daily reality.
According to the Associated Press, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon described the current job market as “pretty much a steady state,” noting that turnover numbers are coming down and the pace of change is more manageable than during the pandemic. “Things feel much more stable now,” McMillon explained, highlighting that the company’s ongoing investments in wages are helping associates keep pace with inflation. “That process will continue.”
Yet, it’s not just about paychecks. Walmart is actively addressing the anxieties and hopes that come with the rise of AI. McMillon said, “As it relates to AI and the future of employment, I think for the most part, our folks are enthusiastic about it because they’ve seen new tools that are making their jobs better.” He emphasized that technology is helping employees work more efficiently, and that optimism is growing as Walmart’s sales continue to rise.
Walmart’s approach is rooted in transparency and a willingness to adapt. McMillon acknowledged, “No one knows how this is going to play out exactly. The way it feels to me is that basically every job gets changed. And the best way to think about it is getting ‘plussed up.’” In his view, the challenge isn’t about jobs vanishing overnight, but about evolving roles—where workers adopt new tools, leverage AI, and enhance their contributions. “As I look across our company, we have everything from store associates to supply chain associates,” he said. “Of the 2.1 million people (globally), something less than 75,000 of them are home office jobs. All the other ones are working in a store, a club, a distribution center. And I think those jobs change more gradually.”
Walmart’s workforce, spread across more than 10,000 locations worldwide—including 4,600 U.S. stores and 5,200 with Sam’s Club—serves about 270 million customers each week. Despite integrating AI-powered technologies and creating new roles such as “agent builders,” the company has made a deliberate choice to maintain a human touch in customer service, firmly rejecting the use of humanoid robots in its stores. “We are still going to want to serve customers and members with people,” McMillon told AP, signaling that while back-office and home office roles may evolve faster, the in-person retail experience remains a top priority.
Walmart’s financial foundation is as robust as its operational footprint. According to GuruFocus, the company reported trailing twelve months revenue of $693.15 billion, boasting a three-year growth rate of 7.4%. Fiscal 2025 saw over $460 billion in domestic Walmart store sales, $90 billion from Sam’s Club, and $120 billion internationally. The company’s operating margin stands at 4.18%, net margin at 3.08%, and EBITDA margin at 6.44%. With a market capitalization of approximately $822.48 billion, Walmart’s competitive edge is reinforced by its ability to leverage economies of scale and operational efficiency.
Financial strength is further demonstrated by a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a return on equity of 24.4%, and an Altman Z-Score of 6.18—figures that indicate strong liquidity and low bankruptcy risk. Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a target price of $113.06 and a recommendation score of 1.7, reflecting confidence in Walmart’s future prospects. However, the company has seen 19 insider selling transactions in the past three months, a trend investors are watching closely.
Stability in the workforce is not just a financial matter, but also a matter of strategic planning. Walmart’s turnover rates are down, and the company is doubling down on training and certification programs for roles that are in high demand but short supply—like truck drivers and maintenance technicians. McMillon noted, “To some degree, it’s a lack of awareness. I think most Americans probably don’t know what a tech makes that helps take care of our stores and clubs and that we can help them learn how to be a tech. The same thing’s true for our drivers.”
Looking ahead, Walmart plans to introduce an AI skills training program in 2026 through a new collaboration with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. This initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure that employees are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven landscape. “The best way to do that is to work together and to share information and learn together,” McMillon said. “It’ll speed up our ability to get ahead of this so that we can do a better job of setting our associates up for success.”
While some jobs may disappear as AI automates routine tasks, Walmart has a track record of adapting by creating new roles. Over the last decade, for example, the company added more than 200,000 store associate jobs focused on order picking for delivery and pickup. Despite these changes, the overall workforce size has remained steady. “Other tasks and other jobs changed, which enabled us to create new jobs that paid more and have fewer of the older jobs that went away,” McMillon explained. “I hope what happens as we lead through this is that there will be pluses and minuses, but the net ends up being even more people because we have more ideas of how to grow.”
Among the most coveted positions at Walmart are store managers—roles that require a unique blend of human and technical skills. “Being a store manager is such a great job and such a challenging job,” McMillon said. “It’s a job that pays well, and it pays well for a reason. You’re interacting with the community with large numbers of people. You have a large number of associates. You have big sales numbers to deliver. And those skills that the store manager has are both human and technical.”
Throughout these changes, Walmart is committed to transparent, honest, and human communication with its employees. “I think the way for all of us to approach it, especially here at Walmart, is just in a very transparent, honest, human, straightforward way, talking to people real time about what we’re learning and what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” McMillon emphasized. “That’s the way that we plan to lead through this.”
As Walmart navigates the uncertainties and opportunities of an AI-powered future, its blend of financial strength, operational scale, and focus on people-first innovation may well set the tone for the broader retail sector—and for millions of American workers looking to find their place in a rapidly changing world.
