Company report
Walmart (WMT)
Stores and clubs with a large supply chain. From the annual report for the period ending January 31, 2026, filed March 13, 2026, read October 1, 2026 by Claude Fable 5.1 under rubric version 1. Ranked 12 of the 34 Consumer Defensive companies read so far, by the share within reach now. Prepared October 19, 2026; data checked October 18, 2026.
The sample. Walmart's report is free, so you can see what the $29 report on any company the Index has read holds. Every other company's report is at the same address under its own ticker.
Within reach now
21%
of the working time, estimated
End of 2028
25%
25% at the end of 2030
Employees, annual report
2,100,000
as of January 31, 2026
Leading staffing pattern
General Merchandise Retailers
The figures on this page come from the company's own annual report and from BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. They are estimates with a stated method. Nothing here says what the company will do: within reach is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
At every date and pace
The share of the company's working time within reach of AI, by the blend of its staffing patterns and the industries' own estimates. The long-run pace carries METR's trend since 2019 forward, the recent pace its trend since 2023, the slowdown a doubling every year; four in five and even odds are the reliability asked of the model. Estimates.
| Pace and reliability | Now | End of 2026 | End of 2027 | End of 2028 | End of 2029 | End of 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-run pace, four in five | 21% | 22% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Long-run pace, even odds | 24% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Recent pace, four in five | 21% | 22% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Recent pace, even odds | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Slowdown, four in five | 21% | 22% | 23% | 24% | 25% | 25% |
| Slowdown, even odds | 24% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
By the same patterns, at the end of 2028 about 75% of the working time stays with people, 12% becomes checking a model's work and 12% could be handed over with lighter checks: the industries' own figures, not the company's roles.
The reading
2,100,000 employees as of January 31, 2026 (stated). Approximately 1.6 million of 2.1 million associates are in the U.S.; 0.5 million are international.
The filing: “Our business is focused on serving people and this is delivered by our approximately 2.1 million associates around the world with approximately 1.6 million associates in the U.S. and approximately 0.5 million associates internationally.”
A retailer whose filing states its headcount and U.S. share but splits its workforce only by facility counts, so the two patterns come from 10,955 stores and 371 distribution facilities at typical staffing.
| Pattern | Share | Its industry: now, 2028 | Reason, from the filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Merchandise Retailers | 86% | 22%, 25% | The filing gives no headcount by segment, so this is (b): 10,955 retail units (4,611 Walmart U.S., 601 Sam's Club, 5,743 international) at a typical store staffing of about 160 associates, against the distribution network below, scaled to the stated 2.1 million; warehouse clubs and supercenters are general merchandise retail in NAICS. |
| Warehousing and Storage | 14% | 17%, 22% | By (b): 192 distribution facilities in the U.S. and 179 outside it, 371 in all, including eCommerce fulfillment centers, at a typical staffing of about 800 each, about 300,000 associates or 14% of the total; the private truck fleet the filing mentions has no stated driver count and is folded in here. |
What the filing says about the workforce: U.S. figures: about 92% of associates are hourly and 68% full-time; about 75% of U.S. salaried store, club and supply chain management associates began in hourly positions. No store-versus-supply-chain headcount is stated.
Limits of this reading
- Pattern shares rest on facility counts (b), not on stated headcounts.
- International formats (grocery, cash-and-carry, and Flipkart's e-commerce in India) are read as general merchandise retail because the filing gives no split by format.
- Corporate and technology staff have no stated count and sit inside the two patterns, as BLS counts them.
A typical workforce of this shape
What a workforce of 2,100,000 people split by the patterns above typically holds: each industry's largest occupations in the proportions BLS counts across that industry, at the pay it pays them, merged by occupation. It is the industries' staffing, never Walmart's roster, which this site has not seen; it says where the hours sit in work of this shape, not who does what at the company. Run through the same arithmetic as a paid scan, on the long-run pace at four in five.
Roles
52
occupations in the typical workforce
Paid hours a year
4.4B
at 2,080 a person
Hours within reach, end of 2028
1.0B
24% of paid hours
Worth a year
$30B
at the industries' median pay, loaded for benefits
| Within reach | Now | End of 2027 | End of 2028 | End of 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours a year | 919M | 1.0B | 1.0B | 1.0B |
| Share of paid hours | 21% | 23% | 24% | 24% |
| Worth a year | $25B | $29B | $30B | $30B |
By the roles, the work is about 24% desk work, 18% people work and 58% body work; only desk work can be within reach.
Role by role
The 30 largest roles of the typical workforce; 22 smaller roles holding 27,172 people are in the totals above. Pay is the industries' median for the role (BLS, May 2025). Within reach now and at the end of 2028, with the hours a year that is.
| Role | People | Pay | Now | End of 2028 | Hours, 2028 | Desk | People work | Body | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 587,874 | $37,381 | 19% | 19% | 236M | 19% | 4% | 76% | task by task |
| Retail Salespersons | 470,548 | $34,496 | 22% | 23% | 225M | 23% | 28% | 49% | task by task |
| Cashiers | 292,961 | $31,250 | 18% | 18% | 113M | 18% | 32% | 50% | task by task |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 125,110 | $40,587 | 9% | 9% | 23M | 9% | 2% | 89% | task by task |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 122,466 | $47,190 | 30% | 51% | 129M | 51% | 31% | 18% | task by task |
| Customer Service Representatives | 83,398 | $37,928 | 64% | 64% | 112M | 64% | 35% | 1% | task by task |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 58,291 | $50,916 | 1% | 1% | 1.6M | 1% | 0% | 99% | task by task |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 36,831 | $43,510 | 7% | 7% | 5.5M | 7% | 0% | 93% | task by task |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 36,551 | $36,714 | 3% | 3% | 2.3M | 3% | 2% | 95% | task by task |
| Security Guards | 31,703 | $35,616 | 14% | 14% | 9.3M | 14% | 25% | 61% | task by task |
| General and Operations Managers | 30,235 | $75,629 | 25% | 52% | 32M | 53% | 40% | 7% | task by task |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 26,284 | $48,150 | 34% | 34% | 19M | 34% | 6% | 60% | task by task |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | 25,449 | $45,778 | 53% | 53% | 28M | 53% | 10% | 37% | task by task |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 18,085 | $37,160 | 6% | 6% | 2.4M | 6% | 21% | 73% | task by task |
| Food Preparation Workers | 16,574 | $38,810 | 3% | 3% | 926K | 3% | 3% | 95% | task by task |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 14,943 | $60,390 | 14% | 14% | 4.3M | 14% | 5% | 81% | task by task |
| Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers | 12,212 | $37,030 | 21% | 35% | 8.9M | 35% | 11% | 54% | task by task |
| Pharmacists | 12,212 | $151,370 | 39% | 49% | 12M | 49% | 33% | 18% | task by task |
| Opticians, Dispensing | 10,341 | $60,000 | 15% | 15% | 3.2M | 15% | 39% | 46% | task by task |
| Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists | 10,306 | $30,620 | 7% | 8% | 1.7M | 8% | 22% | 71% | task by task |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 8,860 | $45,820 | 9% | 89% | 16M | 93% | 7% | 0% | task by task |
| Bakers | 8,116 | $41,140 | 8% | 20% | 3.3M | 20% | 2% | 79% | task by task |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 7,467 | $47,240 | 4% | 4% | 655K | 4% | 24% | 71% | task by task |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 5,253 | $64,480 | 6% | 13% | 1.4M | 13% | 3% | 84% | task by task |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 3,726 | $76,690 | 36% | 58% | 4.5M | 58% | 41% | 1% | task by task |
| First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand | 3,651 | $72,380 | 30% | 33% | 2.5M | 33% | 33% | 33% | task by task |
| First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators | 3,651 | $72,380 | 40% | 45% | 3.4M | 45% | 32% | 24% | task by task |
| First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants | 3,651 | $72,380 | 23% | 33% | 2.5M | 33% | 60% | 7% | task by task |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 3,428 | $99,330 | 11% | 59% | 4.2M | 69% | 29% | 2% | task by task |
| Light Truck Drivers | 2,651 | $46,280 | 11% | 11% | 612K | 11% | 3% | 86% | task by task |
Where the hours come from
The tasks across the typical workforce carrying the most hours within reach at the end of 2028, with the share of each task's time that is.
| Task | Role | Hours a year | Of the task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices. | Retail Salespersons | 57M | 50% |
| Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits. | Retail Salespersons | 45M | 50% |
| Determine proper storage methods, identification, and stock location, based on turnover, environmental factors, and physical capabilities of facilities. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 44M | 80% |
| Keep periodic balance sheets of amounts and numbers of transactions. | Cashiers | 43M | 100% |
| Requisition merchandise from supplier, based on available space, merchandise on hand, customer demand, or advertised specials. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 33M | 100% |
| Compile and maintain non-monetary reports and records. | Cashiers | 31M | 100% |
| Maintain records related to sales. | Retail Salespersons | 30M | 100% |
| Recommend disposal of excess, defective, or obsolete stock. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 27M | 50% |
| Inventory stock and requisition new stock. | Retail Salespersons | 27M | 20% |
| Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 24M | 30% |
| Establish credit policies and operating procedures. | First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 24M | 100% |
| Calculate total payments received during a time period, and reconcile this with total sales. | Cashiers | 20M | 70% |
| Keep records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 20M | 100% |
| Design and set up advertising signs and displays of merchandise on shelves, counters, or tables to attract customers and promote sales. | Stockers and Order Fillers | 20M | 30% |
| Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills. | Customer Service Representatives | 19M | 100% |
Where to start
Document work within reach today that needs no connection to a business system, takes no license and is not severe if it goes wrong, from the 49 of 52 roles reviewed task by task (100% of paid hours). Across those roles, 425M hours a year are in documents a model can be handed and 492M inside business systems it would have to be connected to; by the end of 2028, 525M and 508M. Hours count only the documents part of each task.
| Work | Role | How scripted | If it goes wrong | Hours a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep up with promotions and policiesReading notices and price changes; the knowing has to be the salesperson's own. | Retail Salespersons | Set procedure | Small if wrong | 57M |
| Decide storage methods and locationsA plan for where stock goes, with a walk of the space. | Stockers and Order Fillers | Procedure with judgment | Small if wrong | 43M |
| Recommend disposal of excess stockLooking the stock over, then a written recommendation. | Stockers and Order Fillers | Procedure with judgment | Small if wrong | 26M |
| Design and set up displaysBuilding displays by hand, with some design. | Stockers and Order Fillers | Procedure with judgment | Small if wrong | 18M |
| Keep periodic balance sheetsTallies of transactions entered and summed. | Cashiers | Set procedure | Small if wrong | 17M |
| Requisition merchandise from suppliersWorking out what to order, then entering the requisition. | Stockers and Order Fillers | Procedure with judgment | Costly if wrong | 17M |
| Take inventory to spot reordersCounting on the shelves, with a list of what is short. | Stockers and Order Fillers | Set procedure | Small if wrong | 12M |
| Establish credit policies and proceduresWriting policy. | First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | Open-ended | Costly if wrong | 12M |
| Formulate pricing policiesAnalysis of margins and prices on paper. | First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | Open-ended | Costly if wrong | 12M |
| Investigate the validity of complaintsPulling the records and weighing what they show. | Customer Service Representatives | Procedure with judgment | Costly if wrong | 11M |
| Estimate quantities and cost neededA calculation from the customer's measurements, talked through with them. | Retail Salespersons | Procedure with judgment | Small if wrong | 11M |
| Review policy terms for coverageReading a policy against the facts of a claim. | Customer Service Representatives | Procedure with judgment | Costly if wrong | 10M |
What changes for the people
Across the 2,095,366 people of the typical workforce in roles reviewed task by task, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: about 76% of their working time stays with people (the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks), 11% becomes checking a model's work in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs, and 12% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
What most of them would learn first
- The hands-on craft: among the first two things to learn for 1,810,310 people
- The conversations: among the first two things to learn for 813,014 people
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts: among the first two things to learn for 787,398 people
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself: among the first two things to learn for 298,229 people
- Judgment where errors are severe: among the first two things to learn for 111,717 people
- Running AI inside the business systems: among the first two things to learn for 88,653 people
What the filing says about AI
21 sentences in the filing name AI. The filing describes building a 'digitally skilled, AI-enabled workforce', company-wide AI learning pathways and certifications for associates, and 'identifying areas where AI can automate repetitive tasks' while reshaping roles toward 'uniquely human strengths'; AI also appears in its technology and competition discussion. Counted and quoted, never judged: a count says how much a filing talks about AI, not what the company does with it.
- “These forward-looking statements may relate to: macroeconomic, geopolitical, and business conditions, trends and events around the world and in the markets in which we operate, including inflation or deflation, generally, and in certain product categories, the impact of supply chain challenges, tariffs and recessionary pressures; changes or modifications in tariff rates, exemptions therefrom or...”
- “We continue to heavily invest in omnichannel and eCommerce innovation, as well as supply chain capabilities, which enables us to leverage technology, talent and expertise, and expand our assortment and service offerings, including through the integration of advanced technologies such as AI.”
- “Our strategies increasingly include the use of AI-powered tools to support customer and member-facing experiences, associate productivity and operational efficiency across our ecosystem.”
- “We employ many strategies and programs designed to meet competitive pressures within our industry, which increasingly incorporate the use of AI-powered tools.”
- “Our workforce strategy focuses on aligning our organizational structure, talent capabilities and technology investments with the evolving needs of the business, including development of a digitally skilled, AI-enabled workforce.”
- “As part of this effort, we are making everyday work simpler and more meaningful by reshaping roles to emphasize uniquely human strengths such as creativity and leadership and identifying areas where AI can automate repetitive tasks.”
- “This includes company‑wide AI learning pathways and certifications designed to meet associates where they are.”
- “From November 2019 to November 2021 he served as Chief Revenue Officer at Instacart. 2026 55 Daniel Danker Executive Vice President, AI Acceleration, Product and Design, effective August 2025.”
- “Our strategy, which includes investments in eCommerce, technology, AI, talent, supply chain automation and enhancements, advertising, acquisitions, joint ventures, new store and club openings and remodels and other customer initiatives, may not adequately or effectively allow us to continue to grow our omnichannel business offerings, increase comparable sales or maintain or grow our overall mar...”
- “In addition, a greater concentration of eCommerce sales, including increasing online grocery sales and the increasing role of AI-enabled platforms in product search, discovery, advertising and purchasing, could result in a reduction in the amount of traffic in our stores and clubs, which would, in turn, reduce the opportunities for cross-store or cross-club sales of merchandise that such traffi...”
- “In addition, to remain competitive, we must continue to develop, integrate and scale digital tools, including AI-powered search and discovery platforms and capabilities, useful interfaces and other marketing tools such as third-party recommendation engines, paid search and mobile applications.”
- “Negative incidents, including the loss of merchandise as a result of shrink or theft, ineffective use or misuse of AI technologies, inaccurate, biased or otherwise flawed 13 AI search and discovery results, or a data breach as a result of a cyberattack could quickly erode trust and confidence in our business and could result in customer dissatisfaction, consumer boycotts, workforce unrest and g...”
- “The omnichannel retail landscape is highly competitive and rapidly evolving, and the entry of new, well-funded competitors, or more rapid development of AI capabilities and agentic tools by these competitors to enhance productivity and the shopping experience, may increase competitive pressures.”
- “We continue to invest in AI to enhance our customers' shopping experience and our associate work experience and to improve efficiencies of our supply chain, operations, management functions and talent recruitment and development; however, these are evolving technologies, there are 17 inherent operational and legal complexities associated with implementation of these technologies within our busi...”
- “When integrating and introducing AI technologies into our platforms, processes and systems, we may be exposed to new or expanded liabilities and risks due to elevated governmental scrutiny and monitoring, litigation, data privacy risks and compliance issues in a disparate and at times conflicting regulatory environment, all of which could negatively affect our financial performance and business...”
- “Continued advancements and increased use of AI have intensified existing cybersecurity risks by enabling faster and more automated attack techniques, lowering the barrier to creating sophisticated threats, and further compressing the time in which we must detect and respond to potential threats.”
- “Advances in AI are also creating novel categories of cyber threats in which attackers use AI systems to autonomously conduct reconnaissance, generate and tailor exploit code, harvest credentials, craft highly convincing social‑engineering content, and execute large‑scale intrusion or extortion campaigns with minimal human involvement.”
- “Moreover, the increasing sophistication of AI technologies poses a greater risk of identity fraud, as malicious actors may exploit AI to create convincing false identities or manipulate verification processes.”
- “A growing patchwork of AI laws and targeted privacy and consumer protection statutes may also create varying obligations around notice, customer rights and appeals, data minimization, restrictions on sensitive data, targeted advertising and certain forms of profiling, and these requirements continue to evolve.”
- “We are also governed by foreign, national and state laws and regulations of general applicability, including laws and regulations related to competition and antitrust matters; protection of the environment and health and safety matters, including exposure to, and the management and disposal of, hazardous substances; food and drug safety, including drug supply chain security requirements; consum...”
- “The impact of new laws, regulations and policies and the related interpretations, as well as changes in enforcement practices or regulatory scrutiny as to existing laws and regulations (including, but not limited to, in the U.S., shifting enforcement priorities for existing antitrust, competition and pricing laws (including new or expanded laws relating to dynamic and algorithmic pricing), use...”
Its annual reports, year by year
| Fiscal year | Sentences naming AI | Period | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 | January 31, 2022 | 10-K |
| 2022 | 0 | January 31, 2023 | 10-K |
| 2023 | 1 | January 31, 2024 | 10-K |
| 2024 | 7 | January 31, 2025 | 10-K |
| 2025 | 21 | January 31, 2026 | 10-K |
Headcount by filing year
As reported in each year's annual report, with the filing. A year marked not read had no figure the reading could take from the report's text.
| Period | Employees | Filed | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2026-03-13 | 10-K |
| 2025-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2025-03-14 | 10-K |
| 2024-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2024-03-15 | 10-K |
| 2023-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2023-03-17 | 10-K |
| 2022-01-31 | 2,300,000 | 2022-03-18 | 10-K |
| 2021-01-31 | 2,300,000 | 2021-03-19 | 10-K |
| 2020-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2020-03-20 | 10-K |
| 2019-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2019-03-28 | 10-K |
| 2018-01-31 | 2,300,000 | 2018-03-30 | 10-K |
| 2017-01-31 | 2,300,000 | 2017-03-31 | 10-K |
| 2016-01-31 | 2,300,000 | 2016-03-30 | 10-K |
| 2015-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2015-04-01 | 10-K |
| 2014-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2014-03-21 | 10-K |
| 2013-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2013-03-26 | 10-K |
| 2012-01-31 | 2,200,000 | 2012-03-27 | 10-K |
| 2011-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2011-03-30 | 10-K |
| 2010-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2010-03-30 | 10-K |
| 2009-04-01 | 2,100,000 | 2009-04-01 | 10-K |
| 2008-01-31 | 2,100,000 | 2008-03-31 | 10-K |
| 2007-01-31 | 1,900,000 | 2007-03-27 | 10-K |
| 2006-01-31 | 1,800,000 | 2006-03-29 | 10-K |
| 2005-01-31 | 1,700,000 | 2005-03-31 | 10-K |
| 2004-01-31 | 1,500,000 | 2004-04-09 | 10-K |
| 2003-01-31 | 1,400,000 | 2003-04-15 | 10-K |
| 2002-01-31 | 1,383,000 | 2002-04-15 | 10-K |
| 2001-01-31 | 1,244,000 | 2001-04-10 | 10-K |
| 2000-01-31 | 1,140,000 | 2000-04-17 | 10-K |
| 1999-01-31 | 910,000 | 1999-04-19 | 10-K |
| 1998-01-31 | 825,000 | 1998-04-23 | 10-K |
| 1997-01-31 | 728,000 | 1997-04-21 | 10-K |
| 1996-01-31 | 675,000 | 1996-04-23 | 10-K |
| 1995-01-31 | 622,000 | 1995-04-27 | 10-K |
Companies read with the same leading pattern
Every company read whose largest staffing pattern is also General Merchandise Retailers, largest first, each from its own annual report. Within reach now and at the end of 2028.
| Company | Employees | Now | End of 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target TGT | 415,000 | 21% | 25% |
| Costco COST | 341,000 | 22% | 25% |
| Dollar General DG | 194,000 | 21% | 25% |
| Dollar Tree DLTR | 153,032 | 22% | 25% |
| Macy's, Inc. M | 90,134 | 22% | 25% |
| Kohl's Corporation KSS | 84,000 | 21% | 25% |
| BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ | 35,000 | 22% | 25% |
| Dillard's, Inc. DDS | 29,100 | 22% | 25% |
How the report is made
Claude Fable 5.1 read the annual report on EDGAR (accession 0000104169-26-000055, the filing) under rubric version 1 of the Index's written rules: the headcount it states, the share in the U.S. when it says, and the workforce as a blend of industry staffing patterns, each share with a reason from the filing. A pattern's estimates come from the site's industry pages: the industry's staffing from BLS, each occupation's tasks from O*NET with an estimated length for each, and METR's measurements of the length of task AI models can finish, carried forward on three paces. The latest measurement is Claude Mythos Preview (early), April 7, 2026; the data was checked on October 18, 2026. The typical workforce is the industries' staffing at the stated headcount, at the industries' median pay loaded for benefits (pay times 1.43), with 2,080 paid hours a person a year. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability if the work were set up for it; it is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings. The full method. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
How to cite it
Stratus Workforce Scan, company report: Walmart (WMT), from its annual report for the period ending 2026-01-31, read 2026-10-01 under rubric version 1; prepared 2026-10-19. workforce.stratussc.com/companies/WMT.
For your own use and inside your organization, and to quote with credit to the Stratus Workforce Scan. Sales are final.