A study has shown that 400,000 jobs in the United States have been lost due to Chinese goods imported by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

The New York Times reported that according to the Economic Policy Institute, the U.S. lost these jobs in the period between 2001 and 2013. Most of the said jobs are in the manufacturing sector, and comprise about 13 percent of the displaced jobs that have been attributed to the United States goods trade deficit with the Asian giant.

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According to the EPI study, 2013 saw Walmart import Chinese goods that amount to at least $49 billion, based on trade and labor data. In the same year, the United States' trade deficit with China hit a staggering $324 billion.

EPI economist Robert E. Scott, who authored the study, said Walmart is one of the retailers that has been bringing a lot of imports into the country. In doing this, Scott says that the U.S. is losing its manufacturing jobs.

Walmart, for its part, has disputed the study's results, which are updates of estimates released earlier in 2007. Retailers do not usually release breakdown reports regarding their respective imports, and as such, numbers that were used in the study are highly dependent on estimates.

Other experts also note that studies such as this do not take into account other jobs that importing goods can create in different areas such as transportation, wholesale and retail.

Reuters reports that Walmart cited a report from Boston Consulting Group, which states that by the year 2023 the company will be creating an estimated 1 million jobs through its U.S. manufacturing initiatives.

The retail giant had announced in 2013 that in this initiative, they will be purchasing US-made goods that will help vendors return production to the country. Others, however, have dismissed this as a publicity stunt.

Boston Consulting Group senior partner and managing director Harold J. Sirkin said that although the U.S.' trade deficit with China had led to job losses, there has been a turnaround.

With the labor cost in China rising, the cost of importing things from the Asian country into the U.S. is almost the same as buying it locally.

TagsWal-Mart, China Manufacutring Industry, Wal-Mart Imports China, US-China Goods Trade Deficit