Walmart said Wednesday it plans to convert the majority of its U.S. hourly jobs to full-time jobs by the end of fiscal 2021 as part of its efforts to boost job stability and retain workers.
Drew Holler, senior vice president of Walmart’s US People Operations, outlined the plans in a blog postand writes that two-thirds of the Walmart roles currently hourly will eventually “be full-time with fixed week-to-week schedules.”
“We are uniquely positioned to offer a combination of stability and room for growth that few others can compare to,” Holler wrote. “We prefer consistent schedules, skills training and new growth path so that all jobs at Walmart can lead to careers.”
He added that Walmart knows that “providing more full-time opportunities, coupled with skills, training and equipping employees with tools to make work easier, will help us attract and retain outstanding talent.”
Walmart, what it’s 1.6 million employees in the US, about 53 percent of its hourly workers in 2016 held full-time positions, Holler said.
The general manager added that the new goal announced Wednesday follows in the line of Walmart’s distribution and fulfillment centers, which employ more than 80 percent of their workers full time.
“To achieve the two-thirds mark by the end of the year, we will have approximately 100,000 more full-time positions than five years ago, representing significant investments in our employees’ salary, hours and stability,” Holler said.
Walmart, one of the few retailers that has seen growth under the coronavirus pandemic with the increase in online sales, has continued to drive industry change over the past year in hopes of maintaining a stable workforce to keep up with demand. the consumer.
In February, the retail giant announced that he would increase his hourly wage for 425,000 employees across the country to between $ 13 and $ 19 per hour, depending on location.
Walmart CEO and President John Furner said the company has also introduced special COVID-19 bonuses over the past year, raising the amount for 165,000 leadership roles and creating a ‘team-based model’ in our stores ‘restructured.
“Whatever your role, know that we will continue to support and invest in you,” Furner told employees in a February statement.