Walmart plans to hire 20,000 supply chain workers for holiday season

The global supply chain crisis and labor shortage brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic are a huge challenge for major retailers. Many retailers are worried that they will not have enough workers in their stores and warehouses during the holiday shopping season, and they are trying their best to recruit more warehouse employees to cope with the logistics pressure brought by the peak season.

Walmart said Wednesday it is looking to hire 20,000 new supply chain employees for more than 250 Walmart and Sam's Club distribution centers, fulfillment centers and shipping offices ahead of the busy holiday shopping season .

" As our business evolves to meet current consumer needs, having a strong supply chain is more important than ever, " the company said in a statement. Walmart was the largest private sector employer in the United States as of January 31, with approximately 1.6 million American workers, according to a regulatory filing.

The global labor shortage has prompted many retailers to raise workers' wages this year . Walmart said in an announcement yesterday that the average wage for the supply chain employees it plans to hire will be $20.37 per hour , which is much higher than the previous average wage in the United States.

Walmart plans to hold a recruitment event on September 8th and 9th to fill these positions. Some experts believe that even if Walmart is able to offer workers attractive salaries and benefits, filling warehouse vacancies will still be a challenge.

The difficulty in recruiting supply chain workers is not just a problem faced by Walmart. Before the new crown pandemic, competition for warehouse workers among U.S. retailers was already fierce . As more consumers turn to online shopping , retailers are facing greater supply chain pressure .

More than half of retailers reported “significant challenges” hiring warehouse workers, according to a survey of more than 80 major supermarket, grocery, drugstore and clothing chains by headhunting firm Korn Ferry, compared with just 35% who reported challenges hiring in-store staff .

According to foreign media reports, the number of vacancies in the supply chain is now at an all-time high . In order to recruit supply chain workers, these retailers have tried their best. Dollar General has hired more than 50,000 employees since mid-July and offered a $5,000 signing bonus to fleet drivers; Dollar Tree also said it would offer a $1,000 signing bonus to ensure that its distribution centers are adequately staffed before the holidays.

The US supply chain crisis is so severe that Chinese sellers should also prepare early. Facing the upcoming peak season in the second half of the year, sellers should do a good job of inventory management to avoid insufficient inventory and affect sales during the holiday shopping season.

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