Walmart to Pay $550 Million in Staff Bonuses, Hire 150,000 Temporary Workers -- Update
March 19 2020 - 9:16PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah Nassauer
Walmart Inc. said it will pay special cash bonuses totaling $550
million to its hourly workers and hire 150,000 temporary staffers
as the country's biggest retailer seeks to manage a shopping surge
sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The company, which employs more than 1.5 million people in the
U.S., has struggled to keep its stores stocked and fulfill online
orders as consumers seek to stock up on food and household
essentials. The company has kept its U.S. stores open but reduced
store hours.
On Thursday, Walmart said it would pay a $300 cash bonus to
full-time hourly workers and a $150 bonus to part-timers. The
company said it would also accelerate first-quarter bonuses.
The company also said it would seek to hire the 150,000 new
workers through the end of May in its stores and fulfillment
centers. The jobs will be temporary at first but could convert to
permanent roles, Walmart said.
Walmart's moves come days after Amazon.com Inc. said it planned
to hire an additional 100,000 people in the U.S. and raise pay for
warehouse and delivery workers by $2 an hour through April. Both
companies are trying to manage a surge in orders at a time that
many traditional retailers have shut their doors.
Walmart officials said Thursday they had reached out to industry
groups representing hotels and restaurants, offering to hire staff
who have recently lost their jobs. Walmart is also speeding its
hiring process to 24 hours, down from what is usually a two-week
application process.
Walmart said every U.S. hourly worker employed by March 1 will
receive the special bonus and the payments will be made on April
2.
"We felt this was a moment they needed to be provided some extra
merit pay," Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate
affairs at Walmart, said Thursday on a call with reporters.
Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2020 21:01 ET (01:01 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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