Walmart hopes its new program will help it offset its worker shortage.
The company said on Wednesday that it is introducing a pipeline program that will help it funnel its hourly employees into higher level positions.
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In May, the company said that it planned to slash thousands of corporate positions in Texas and California, while mandating that a chunk of its remote workers relocate to one of three of its central hubs in either Arkansas, New Jersey or Northern California.
At the time, Walmart also said it would give some employees permission to work remotely, but only on a part-time basis. The company is planning to begin layoffs for those that have not relocated on Aug. 9.
But even so, Walmart is betting its new associate investment will bear fruit. It said it is pilot testing an “Associate to Technician program” that will help transition hourly employees into technician roles across its stores and supply chain facilities. Those positions include maintenance, refrigeration, and automation, which the retailer boasted can pay between $19 and $45 an hour.
Additionally, Walmart said it is offering skills certificates, which it said employees will be able to complete in about four months. The company is betting that the initiative will help it “fast track” store workers into higher-paying jobs, such as pharmacy technicians, opticians, and software engineers, over the next three years.
The Arkansas-based Walmart, considered to be the nation’s leading private-sector employer, is also offering an annual bonus to some of its full-time and part-time hourly employees. Employees can earn up to a $1,000 bonus, but must have worked at Walmart for one year to be eligible. Meanwhile, store managers are making up to $500,000 a year, Bloomberg reported.
