BENTON, Arkansas: Reuters reported that due to a reduction or elimination in evening and weekend shifts, Walmart will lay off hundreds of workers at five US e-commerce fulfillment centers.

The centers are located in Pedricktown, New Jersey; Fort Worth, Texas; Chino, California; Davenport, Florida; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Those affected will have the option to find jobs at other company locations within 90 days.

According to a March report by Challenger, Gray and Christmas, major retailers, such as Amazon, Neiman Marcus, and Lidl, have already announce 17,456 job cuts so far this year, compared with 761 in the same period in 2022.

"We recently adjusted staffing levels to better prepare for the future needs of customers," Walmart stated, adding that it would work closely with affected associates to find jobs at other locations.

Those laid off workers will have 90 days of paid leave to find jobs at other facilities, including in Joliet, Illinois, and Lancaster, Texas, where Walmart has new high-tech e-commerce distribution centers.

Walmart has been investing heavily in automation to cut down on the number of steps for processing e-commerce orders, from 12 to five steps, which has been implemented at its center in Pedricktown, New Jersey.

On a post-earnings call in February, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said he was "most excited about the automation opportunity we have, with plans to increase investments in automation technology."

With some 1.7 million workers, Walmart is the largest private employer in the US.