Walmart Prepares For Holiday Shopping Rush, Plans To Hire 20,000 Supply Chain Employees

Walmart has started to prepare for the upcoming holiday shopping rush and has announced that it is planning to hire around 20,000 employees. The retail giant said that the employees hired will be both permanent full-time and part-time workers. The big-box retailer said that the roles will be in the supply chain. The employees will work across the distribution centers of the company. They will also work at fulfillment centers and transportation offices. It said that the new hiring will support the growth of the company. It will provide an average wage of USD 20.37 per hour to supply chain associated, the company said in the corporate blog post. Walmart will hold a special hiring event for this and it will be organized on September 8 and 9.

Walmart is hiring more workers as companies are facing a staff crunch. There is fierce competition among companies for workers ever since the coronavirus struck. As companies face problems in hiring the required workforce, Walmart has sweetened the deal by offering special bonuses to those working in warehouses. Walmart also announced recently that it would cover 100 percent college tuition and textbook costs. The pandemic has also halted manufacturing and congested ports across the globe have resulted in delays. Not only this, it resulted in items going out of stock and higher prices for the products. These things have put retailers in a situation where they are worried whether they would be able to fulfill higher demands during the peak season of gift-giving. This is especially when more and more people are opting for online shopping.

Meanwhile, Walmart has decided to ramp up the supply chain and has increased investment for it. The company is also adding advanced and high-tech automated systems at selected locations. This will help the company pick and pack online grocery orders. Earlier in August, the company said that it has witnessed a strong surge in demand for back-to-school supplies, luggage, apparel, and more. Commenting on the increase in demand, Walmart’s Chief financial officer Brett Biggs said that the company has increased lead times for orders. The company has now hired dedicated vessels to reduce the time period of import.