A buyer loads items into a vehicle outside a Walmart store in San Leandro, California, USA on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Walmart said Wednesday it plans to hire 20,000 employees to help keep the goods moving ahead of the planned holiday shopping rush.
The retailer, who is already the country’s largest employer, said the papers will be in the supply chain. Jobs will be a mix of full-time and part-time, but will be permanent positions. They will range from filling orders to handling goods at the company’s more than 250 distribution centers, compliance centers and transport offices.
The average salary of a supply chain associate is $ 20.37 per hour, Walmart said in the corporate blog post. The company said it will hold special recruitment events on Sept. 8 and 9.
Walmart is staffing as companies face fierce competition for workers and Covid-19 outbreaks that have halted manufacturing, slowed shipments and led to congested ports around the world. These challenges have resulted in delays, depleted items and higher prices across the industry. They have also raised questions about whether retailers will be prepared for the high season of gift delivery, especially as more purchases are made online.
Walmart has not yet announced plans for holiday hiring. Last year, the retailer said it would hire 20,000 seasonal associates, the first time in five years it has announced a major holiday hiring.
The company has also increased supply chain investments, such as the addition of high-tech automated systems to select stores to help collect and package grocery orders online.
Walmart said in August that it was seeing strong demand for back-to-school supplies, luggage, clothing and more as consumers returned to stores. Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said in a second-quarter earnings call that the company has increased order delivery times and chartered its own dedicated vessels to accelerate imports. Still, he said, “depleted stocks of certain categories of general merchandise are above normal, given strong sales and supply restrictions.”
As Walmart competes with other employers to work part-time, it has tried to sweeten the deal. It recently began paying special bonuses to warehouse workers and covering 100% of the costs of college tuition and textbooks for employees.
Other retailers have announced similar benefits and policy changes. Among them, Target launched its own debt-free college program. CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance said they would increase their starting salaries to $ 15 an hour and CVS said it would reduce educational requirements for entry-level jobs.