Walmart is hiring for the holidays. Photo: Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Walmart is hiring 40,000 new employees — both seasonal and permanent positions — ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.
Why it matters: This is far fewer jobs than the 170,000 new positions the world’s largest retailer announced in September 2021, but Walmart told Axios that its “staffing is stronger heading into this holiday season than it was last year.”
Details: Walmart said most of the new jobs are for seasonal store associates.
- The company also plans to hire approximately 1,500 full-time, permanent truck drivers with starting pay up to $110,000 a year.
- About 2,000 will be hired for full-time and seasonal roles in “customer care and marketplace call centers.”
- Virtual call centers are located in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Phoenix, Northwest Arkansas and Draper, Utah.
- Current part-time employees can also choose to pick up additional shifts.
By the numbers: Walmart said its average U.S. wage is more than $17 an hour and that many associates earn more based on role and market.
Zoom out: As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates swiftly to crush inflation, businesses continue to hire workers at a robust pace, Axios’ Courtenay Brown reports.
- America added 315,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7% as more workers entered the labor force, the government said in early September.
Flashback: In April, Walmart announced the start of a new truck driver training program and that it was driving the starting pay for new drivers up to $110,000.
- The retailer raised the average hourly pay for its store and Sam’s Club pharmacy technicians to more than $20 an hour in June amid a nationwide labor shortage of pharmacy technicians.
Walmart holiday hiring: Where to apply
What's next: Walmart said the 40,000 employees will work "in a variety of seasonal and full-time roles across our business" and that applications are being accepted on its careers website.
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