Walmart, Dollar General Make Moves to Bolster Talent Pool

Walmart announced it's moving more of its part-time associates to full-time and Dollar General unveiled plans for a hiring spree in a newsy day in retail labor.

By the end of this fiscal year, two-thirds of hourly roles at U.S. Walmart stores will be full time, with consistent schedules from week to week, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer stated in a news release. "We know offering more full-time opportunities along with skills, training and equipping associates with tools to make work easier will help us continue to attract and retain top talent," Walmart U.S. People Operations SVP Drew Holler stated in the release. 

The move toward more full-time schedules for Walmart hourly associates isn't new, Holler emphasized. In 2016, about 53% of Walmart hourly associates worked full-time hours, he said. The two-thirds milestone, once reached, will mean Walmart has "approximately 100,000 more full-time positions than we did five years ago," he said.

In its February earnings report for fourth-quarter and fiscal full-year 2021, Walmart announced plans to raise wages for 425,000 front-line associates, with a focus on those who have been with the company for an extended period of time. CEO Doug McMcMillon told investors that Walmart had no immediate plans to raise the company's starting wage nationwide to $15 an hour; rather, he said, the company would look to raise starting wages over time "sensitive to geography."

In Walmart's April 14 news release, Holler stated that having a predictable schedule makes it easier for associates to plan for "all of the important things going on outside of work." In addition, consistent scheduling means hourly workers will train—and cross-train—consistently with the same leaders and team members, supporting the team-based structure (with eight to 12 employees per team) that Walmart introduced in stores in 2020. 

"Having full-time associates has never been more important than it is right now," Holler said. "Our growing pickup and delivery business calls for us to create more full-time job opportunities as our stores increasingly operate as both fulfillment centers and retail spaces."

Meanwhile, Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General, which in December announced plans to open 1,050 new stores in 2021, said it will hire as many as 20,000 new employees this spring and host a series of in-person and virtual hiring events April 19-23.

Positions are available in Dollar General stores in 46 states as well as in distribution centers, the company's private fleet program and at Dollar General corporate headquarters in Tennessee.

"The opportunity to build a long-term career at DG is one of the most important currencies the company offers to attract and retain talent," Dollar General stated in a news release. The company touted day-one telemedicine eligibility with no co-pay for employees as well as optional benefits programs and the DG University Alliance, offering higher-education tuition discounts and other benefits to full- and part-time employees and their family members.

Interested candidates are encouraged to learn more about roles available and the hiring events at Dollar General's careers page.