Walmart announced Wednesday that it will be hiring 40,000 seasonal and full-time associates as the holiday season approaches.
The company says it is hiring for a variety of positions, including seasonal store associates, customer service associates and 1,500 full-time truck drivers. Walmart has been building its private trucking fleet this year, increasing potential first-year pay up to $110,000 in April.
For the in-store positions, current associates will be able to pick up extra holiday hours, after which Walmart will add to its temporary staff as needed. These associate positions saw three wage hikes last year that brought the average hourly wage to $16.40. This year, Walmart increased pharmacy workers’ average wage to $20 per hour and boosted its U.S. average hourly wage above $17.
The seasonal hiring total is smaller than last year when Walmart added 150,000 mostly permanent and full-time associates, as well as 20,000 supply chain workers to help alleviate logistic bottlenecks.
The company says more than 50% of its seasonal U.S. associates will transition to part-time or full-time roles in the new year.
Expectations for the crucial shopping season are modest, with some estimates predicting only 1% to 3% in inflation-adjusted sales growth. Walmart and other retailers have spent much of the year grappling with excess inventory and steep markdowns.
