--FILE--Shopping carts are seen at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fuzhou city, southeast Chinas Fujian province, 30 December 2008. Wal-Mart, the worlds largest retailer, Tuesday (14 April 2009) launched a job optimization and regrouping program to reduce labor costs in China. Under the program, the company plans to relocate some of the mid-management staff at its stores to similar posts in the new stores that are being opened in China. Wal-Mart had 144 stores across China by the end of 2008, and plans to open 23 new stores by the end of the first-quarter this year. The companys decision came close on the heels of a report in National Business Daily that Wal-Mart was implementing a lay-off program in China, its largest since entry in 1996. Around 10, 000 staff including 2, 500-odd mid-management personnel and many others at different lower levels from Wal-Marts 144 stores were reportedly demoted or asked to leave with compensation.
