Target Raises Hourly Wage to $11

As the battle to attract talent heats up in advance of the holiday season, Target is raising its minimum hourly wage to $11 in October and has made a commitment to increase it to $15 by the end of 2020.

The initiative will allow Target to provide pay increases to thousands of team members across the country and more than 100,000 hourly team members that the retailer will hire for the holiday season.

Target currently pays market competitive rates above the federal minimum wage at all stores nationwide. The retailer’s last major wage increase was in 2016, when the company moved to a $10 minimum hourly wage. A minimum wage of $11 per hour is higher than the minimum wage in 48 states, and matches the minimum wage in Massachusetts and Washington.

“We care about and value the more than 323,000 individuals who come together every day with an absolute commitment to serving our guest,” says Brian Cornell, CEO and chairman of Target. “With this latest commitment, we’ll be providing even more meaningful pay, as well as the tools, training and support our team needs to build their skills, develop professionally and offer the service and expertise that set Target apart.”

On average, Target employs 160 team members per store and offers career planning and development opportunities, with one in four store leaders having come from hourly positions within a Target store. Also, more than 60 percent of Target team members live within five miles of the store where they work.

Additionally, Target offers a variety of schedules to meet the needs of its diverse population and works with its teams to build schedules around their availability. With input from its team members, Target posts store schedules in advance, allows store team members to trade and pick up shifts at their store location, and doesn’t do on-call or snap scheduling at its stores.

Target offers a number of benefits for its team members, including a 10 percent merchandise discount at Target and Target.com and an additional 20 percent health and wellness discount on fresh fruits and vegetables, all Simply Balanced products and C9 merchandise. Comprehensive health and wellness programs are available for eligible team members, including health care benefits, paid parental leave, paid short-term disability and free access to life resources such as nurses, mental health support, financial counseling and legal services. The company also offers financial resources for its team members, including Target Credit Union, a dollar-for-dollar 401K match for eligible team members, tuition reimbursement for GED, undergraduate, graduate and Master’s degrees, and tuition discounts at many accredited schools.