Wal-Mart to cut hundreds of office jobs: WSJ

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to cut hundreds of jobs before the end of January, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

The retailer plans to eliminate jobs at its headquarters and regional personnel that support stores, according to the report.

Many of the eliminations will affect Wal-Mart's human resources department, a large team that some senior executives believe should be more efficient or whose duties could be handled by outside consultants, the newspaper said.

Other departments could be affected as well.

The company said in September it will cut about 7,000 back-office jobs, mostly in accounting and invoicing positions at its U.S. stores, as part of a program it announced in June.

Wal-Mart was not immediately available for comment.