Tech hiring slowdown comes to Walmart, world's biggest retailer's total is down more than ...
The tech hiring slowdown that has impacted Silicon Valley hirings of foreign workers has now reached the corridors of the world's largest retailer. According to a report, Walmart submitted just 312 certified H-1B visa applications in the final three months of 2025, which is a reduction of more than half compared to roughly 860 applications in the same period a year earlier, and approximately 40% below its level from two years ago.
Citing the latest data from the US Department of Labor, Business Insider reported that this is due to the changes to the work visa programme, which began rolling out in September. Walmart's competitors like Target, Home Depot and Lowe's each saw relatively consistent H-1B numbers over the same two-year window.
What is driving the drop in H1-B hiring
A combination of deliberate policy changes is making the H-1B process significantly more expensive. Trump’s administration introduced several changes to the programme that have made companies pull back on visa filing. These include a preference for higher-paid applicants, tighter scrutiny of individual applications, and most significantly, a one-time $100,000 fee for each new application – a cost that adds up quickly for large employers filing hundreds of applications per quarter.
Notably, Walmart is not alone in this. Reportedly, Amazon, which posted the highest total in the data reviewed, saw its quarterly certified applications fall to 3,057 from 4,647 the year before, a decline of roughly one third. Google, Meta and Microsoft have all similarly curtailed their use of the programme in the same period.
Higher pay for fewer workers
But not is all bad for those working at Walmart. Even as the number of applications fell sharply, the median base salary in Walmart's Q1 H-1B filings rose to $150,000, which is up from $144,000 and $145,000 in the two prior years.
The pattern is reportedly consistent with what Trump’s policy changes were designed to achieve: fewer visa applications overall but with a preference for higher-paid, more specialised roles. Companies filing fewer applications are focusing those applications on the workers they most need, and paying more to get them.
Citing the latest data from the US Department of Labor, Business Insider reported that this is due to the changes to the work visa programme, which began rolling out in September. Walmart's competitors like Target, Home Depot and Lowe's each saw relatively consistent H-1B numbers over the same two-year window.
What is driving the drop in H1-B hiring
A combination of deliberate policy changes is making the H-1B process significantly more expensive. Trump’s administration introduced several changes to the programme that have made companies pull back on visa filing. These include a preference for higher-paid applicants, tighter scrutiny of individual applications, and most significantly, a one-time $100,000 fee for each new application – a cost that adds up quickly for large employers filing hundreds of applications per quarter.
Notably, Walmart is not alone in this. Reportedly, Amazon, which posted the highest total in the data reviewed, saw its quarterly certified applications fall to 3,057 from 4,647 the year before, a decline of roughly one third. Google, Meta and Microsoft have all similarly curtailed their use of the programme in the same period.
Higher pay for fewer workers
The pattern is reportedly consistent with what Trump’s policy changes were designed to achieve: fewer visa applications overall but with a preference for higher-paid, more specialised roles. Companies filing fewer applications are focusing those applications on the workers they most need, and paying more to get them.
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