Walmart Inc yesterday said that it has temporarily raised entry wages for workers in its e-commerce warehouses by US$2, following similar moves by rivals, as it attempts to manage a shopping surge brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The hike would increase entry wages for workers in e-commerce fulfillment centers or warehouses to between US$15 and US$19 an hour effective immediately through May 25, Walmart said.
The world’s largest retailer, which employs 1.5 million people in the US, has struggled to keep store shelves stocked and fulfill online orders amid panic buying by shoppers spooked by the outbreak.
Photo: AP
The virus has infected more than 32,000 people in the US leading to more than 415 deaths, a Reuters tally showed.
Walmart last week said that it would pay special cash bonuses totaling US$550 million to hourly staff and hire 150,000 temporary workers through the end of May in its stores and fulfillment centers.
Workers in distribution centers, which primarily help stock stores, start at US$17 to US$18 an hour. The starting wage for store workers in most locations remains US$11 an hour, with the average wage among full-time hourly workers at US$14.26.
Rivals such as Amazon.com Inc and Target Corp have also boosted pay and gone on a hiring spree to manage a surge in orders while many clothing and mall-based retailers have been forced to shut stores.
Amazon hiked entry wages to US$17 from US$15 and announced plans to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the US.
On Saturday, it said that it would raise overtime pay for associates working in its US warehouses.
Target last week said that it would raise its minimum wage by US$2 an hour for store and distribution center workers through May 2.
Walmart officials on Thursday said that they had reached out to industry groups representing hotels and restaurants, offering to hire staff who have recently lost their jobs due to the virus-induced slowdown in tourism and catering.
Yesterday, the company said that new employees could begin work at its facilities in as little as 24 hours after being hired.
It is also offering new hires and current workers a US$250 cash bonus for each new hire referral after 90 days from the new hire’s start.
On Sunday, the retailer said that it has set up federal drive-through coronavirus testing sites in the parking lots of two stores in Illinois.
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