Walmart needs 20,000 more employees - now

Walmart sign. Illustration
By Reidar Molthe

28 September 2020 14:02

Walmart needs 20,000 more employees - now

The American grocery chain Walmart will employ 20,000 seasonal workers to handle e-commerce, and important autumn stunts such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping.

The company points out that the new hires come on top of the 500,000 workers that have joined the company since March.

Some of the new positions will turn into permanent employment, the retailer says.

From brick & mortar to online

Walmart's new recruitment wave is in addition to already announced new hires that have been carried out after the outbreak of the corona pandemic, which has driven consumers out of physical stores and into online stores.

Since March this year, Walmart has hired over half a million to cope with the pressure on e-commerce and Covid19, says Greg Smith, executive vice president for supply chain in Walmart US.

“With these new hires over the last six months, its new seasonal associates, and ongoing hiring of full-time and part-time positions as needed in its stores, Walmart will be staffed and ready to serve customers for the holiday season,” he concludes.

The hiring will focus on online shopping, with the new jobs including power equipment operators, order fillers and more.

Walmart added that it takes into account new shopping trends amid the coronavirus pandemic as it made the decision to increase its workforce, stressing it needs to ensure it is prepared for a jump in online shopping.

About Walmart 

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT)

Each week, over 265 million customers and members visit approximately 11,500 stores under 56 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2020 revenue of $524 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide.

Sources: Walmart Inc., Teletrader a.o.

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