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McDonald’s president sent an email to all US employees announcing corporate job cuts. Wall Street is Happy.

Shares of McDonald's (MCD) are up 3.81% on USA President Chris Kempczinski email announcing Corporate Job Cuts, Eliminating Layers.

In an email message sent to all U.S. employees, suppliers and franchisees on Wednesday, McDonald’s USA President Chris Kempczinski said the company is restructuring regional offices around the country.

“I recognize that change is difficult, and that eliminating layers within our organization means some employees will ultimately exit our system,” Mr. Kempczinski said in the memo, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

In a video message that accompanied the memo, he said the layers between field consultants and Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook will be reduced to six from eight, according to a franchisee who watched the video.

McDonald’s has been working to turn around its struggling U.S. business for more than three years. The company conducted a major study in 2016 that found it had lost about 500 million orders in the U.S. to rival fast-food chains in the previous five years.

McDonald’s has had some wins, including the rollout of all-day breakfast, which helped fuel a sales recovery for a while. Low-cost food and beverages also have helped boost sales, but in April McDonald’s reported that customer visits in the U.S. fell in the first quarter as rivals offered competitive breakfast deals.

Today Corporate Jobs, Tomorrow Robots

The latest reorganization is part of a plan to reduce administrative expenses by $500 million by the end of 2019. The company has already cut an undisclosed number of corporate jobs.

"Some employees will ultimately exit our system," said Kempczinski. He would not say how many.

McDonald’s said it will will reinvest some of its cost-savings in technology, such as digital ordering.