CVS to lay off 5,000 workers as part of cost-cutting efforts

The CVS pharmacy located at 1115 High Street in Hamilton closed Aug. 18, 2022 as part of a store reorganization announced in 2021. FILE

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

The CVS pharmacy located at 1115 High Street in Hamilton closed Aug. 18, 2022 as part of a store reorganization announced in 2021. FILE

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — U.S. pharmacy chain and retail giant CVS is laying off 5,000 workers, the company confirmed Tuesday.

CVS said it would be cutting some non customer-facing positions, but did not specify the number of employees affected, according to reports.

“We do not expect there to be any impact to our customer-facing colleagues in our stores, pharmacies, clinics, or customer services centers,” CVS said in a statement, per CNN.

The layoffs are part of CVS’ effort to reduce costs and focus on health services, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news Monday.

“Throughout our company’s history, we’ve continuously adapted to market dynamics to lead the industry,” CVS said. “The difficult decision we are making will set the company up for long-term success.”

CVS currently employs about 300,000 workers at more than 9,000 store locations across the U.S.

The company confirmed the news of its layoffs one day ahead of its quarterly earnings report, due Wednesday.

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