Walmart Unveils Enhanced Benefits for Hourly Workers, Promotes Skilled Trades

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Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, has revealed an enticing new package of benefits for its hourly workers, including a fresh take on their existing bonus scheme and newfound access to more skilled trades.

Making the announcement on Wednesday, the company has shown its willingness to adapt and innovate, even in the face of a highly competitive labor market and mounting demands from its workforce. A recent fall in worker turnover, Walmart revealed, is partly to thank for this increased scope for advancement.


This expansive perk program branched out to eligible U.S. part-time and full-time workers including those stationed in Walmart’s pharmacies and Vision Centers, linking their bonuses to their individual stores’ performance. A significant twist, however, is the addition of experience-based incentives, where the longest-serving members of their staff stand to reap the highest rewards.

Picture a dedicated full-time employee who has worked tirelessly for Walmart for the better part of five years. Under the new scheme, they could earn a handsome annual bonus of $350. A hardened 20-year veteran, however, stands to enjoy an even more substantial bonus of $1,000. Around 700,000 U.S. workers stand to benefit from this new initiative, the company revealed.

Earlier this year, Walmart set the precedent for this move by awarding stocks worth up to $20,000 to their U.S store managers each year, a testament to their commitment to rewarding loyalty.

Walmart’s commitment to professional development is also evident in its launch of a training initiative for hourly workers within its U.S. supply network and stores. This program offers golden opportunities for movement into positions in essential areas such as facilities maintenance, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and automation.

Over the next couple of years, the Arkansas-based retailer is seeking to nearly quadruple its skilled trades force from 450 to a commendable 2,000.

These positions come with competitive wages, ranging between $19 and $45 per hour, with pay guaranteed even during training. In contrast to Walmart’s average hourly wage of roughly $18 – up a significant 30% over the past five years – it’s clearly a step forward.

The training initiative’s roots are in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, where the first 100 workers will be recruited. This program arose from the Walmart Academy, itself one of the country’s largest skill-development institutions.

Walmart’s business success isn’t being left in the dust either. Last quarter, the company posted robust results, with low prices proving irresistible for discount-hungry consumers in an era of persistently high inflation.

Today’s Walmart can count households with six-figure incomes among its loyal customer base, all drawn in by an ever-improving product range and the lure of simpler shopping. In fact, a substantial two-thirds of Walmart’s recent market share growth is due to this demographic, the company indicated.

This recent skilled-trade progression appears reminiscent of a similar scheme from two years ago, where distribution and fulfillment center workers had the chance to become certified Walmart truck drivers through a comprehensive 12-week program, led by the company’s experienced drivers. At the time, Walmart increased its pay for their 12,000-strong truck driver workforce.

Newbies to the truck driving roles can now expect yearly earnings starting between $95,000 and $110,000, a far cry from the $87,500 average that rookie drivers could expect in their first year prior to this move.

Company spokeswoman, Anne Hatfield shared that this program is already bearing fruit, with more than 500 new drivers produced since its launch in Spring 2022. This strategy has helped Walmart skirt an industry-wide truck driver shortage.

Parallel to this, Walmart has increased comparable training and development programs for its pharmacy techs and opticians.

Demonstrating further its commitment to employee development, Walmart announced on Wednesday an increase in its number of available skills certificates, designed to propel front-line workers into roughly 100,000 higher-paying and in-demand roles over the next three years.

Barely two years ago, only five such certificates existed. Today, that number stands at 50, with programs ranging from front-line manager leadership, to data science, to project management, amongst others.

Employees can obtain these certificates in just four months, according to Lo Stomski, Walmart’s Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer.

These developments come as Walmart gears up for two major events this week; a virtual shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, and on Friday, a grand celebration of workers in Fayetteville, Arkansas, recognizing the contributions of its multinational employees and shareholders.