Walmart debuts $12 hourly wage across 500 stores

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jan 29, 2020

Walmart is testing out a slightly higher minimum wage in hundreds of its stores, as it rolls out a new, more flexible model for how it manages workflow within the store.

The hourly increase -- from $11 to $12 -- will be applied in about 500 stores for those employed as team associates, a newly created role, according to industry reports. 

Currently, Walmart is the largest employer in the United States, employing approximately 1.5 million Americans. The new employment model will train employees to take on a broader range of responsibilities within the store, the reports said, in addition to eliminating roles like assistant manager and customer service manager in favor of roles like academy trainer and team lead.

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According to a Walmart spokesperson, the increase in training is set to allow for "wider paths for advancement."

Walmart has no plans to raise wages more broadly, the reports continued. 

The current federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009, a figure that minimum wage activists have fought to bring up to $15 per hour.

Walmart increased its minimum wage to $11 per hour in 2018. However, company wages are still not as high as those offered by competitors like Amazon and Target, which offer $15 per hour and $13 per hour, respectively.