Walmart to hire 20,000 more supply chain workers

Walmart plans to add 20,000 new supply-chain associates in special hiring events next week.

The workers will fill jobs across all of Walmart and Sam’s Club’s more than 250 distribution centers (DCs), fulfillment centers (FCs) and transportation offices, Joe Metzger, executive vice president of supply chain operations, and Karisa Sprague, senior vice president of people for supply chain, at Walmart U.S. said Wednesday in a blog post. At the Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 hiring events, the company aims to bring on new employees for a wide range of full- and part-time roles, such as order fillers, freight handlers, lift drivers, technicians and management positions.

“As our business continues evolving to meet the needs of today’s customers, having a robust supply chain is more important than ever. That’s why we’re excited to announce that our team is growing,” Metzger and Sprague said. “We released fiscal year 2022 Q2 earnings last week, and they revealed just how much Walmart has grown over the past year. We had another strong quarter. Innovation across all areas of the business had a huge impact on our growth, and earlier this year, we shared plans to roll out high-tech automation systems to our facilities in addition to high-tech grocery distribution centers."

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For the fiscal 2022 second quarter ended July 31, Walmart U.S. net sales climbed 5.3% to $98.19 billion, with comparable sales up 5.6% year over year and more than 14% on a two-year stack. Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales rose 6% for the quarter and were up 103% on a two-year basis. Likewise, Sam’s Club’s second-quarter grew 13.9% to $18.64 billion, and comp sales increased 13.9% year over year and almost 28% over two years. The warehouse club chain’s e-commerce sales surged 27% during the 2022 quarter.

“I like the progress we’re making with Walmart Fulfillment Services,” Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in a conference call on fiscal 2022 Q2 results. “We saw 150 basis points sequential improvement in GMV measured as a percentage of marketplace GMV. Recall earlier this year we announced a step-up in capex spending, with heavy emphasis on supply chain in the coming years. This will mean additional capacity and automation from our largest fulfillment centers to our stores. These investments are aimed at increasing assortment to broaden our appeal with customers and get product positioned and picked efficiently to deliver it faster. These investments will increase capacity, help support the growth of Walmart [membership] and improve productivity.”

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Full- and part-time job openings at the hiring events include such roles as order fillers, freight handlers, lift drivers, technicians and management positions.

Among Walmart supply chain associates, the average hourly wage is $20.37, Metzger and Sprague reported. “We know that offering competitive pay is essential in order to build a network for the future,” they said.

Medical coverage starts at $30.50 per pay period, about one-third less than the average premium employees pay at other companies, the two executives noted. Walmart also provides maternity and paternal benefits, emotional well-being benefits, health care for the LBGTQ community, and veteran and military spouse support. Field-based associates, including supply chain, also can get a $150 cash bonus for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. That includes new associates who get vaccinated before Oct. 4 or who were already vaccinated before their hire date.

To drive associate development and growth, Walmart has opened six new Walmart Academies to support its supply chain business. Instruction at the academies includes both classroom and DC/FC floor training in specialized supply chain skills as well as in soft skills such as leadership, communications and change management. In fiscal 2021, Walmart trained about 5,900 associates via the Walmart U.S. Supply Chain Academy, including in-person and virtual sessions.

“The majority of our managers started their careers in roles such as an order filler and now have responsibility for leading a team of associates to ensure goods are received and shipped to stores and customers with the highest quality and service levels,” according to Metzger and Sprague.

Along with job-focused training at the academies, Walmart offers associates access to further education via its Live Better U tuition assistance program. This year, the company announced it would pay 100% of the cost of tuition and books, which Metzger and Sprague said enables supply chain associates to earn bachelor’s degrees debt-free.

“We know that financial stability, health benefits, family support and career development opportunities are all critical factors to weigh when considering a job, and we aim not to just meet but exceed our associates’ expectations on each of these fronts,” they said. “Every item on our store shelves and in our online inventory is there because of the combined efforts of our associates working in more than 250 supply chain facilities across the country.”