Walmart Inc said on Tuesday it is seeking to attract high school students by offering them a low-cost path to a college degree and will expand an education program it started a year ago in a new bid to draw workers in a tight labour market.
The world’s largest retailer offers an entry wage of $11 while rival Amazon.com Inc pays $15 an hour and Target Corp has said it will offer $15 by the end of 2020, prompting labour groups, unions and politicians to criticize Walmart’s pay policy.Tuesday’s announcement is also tied to U.S. retailers struggling to hire and retain talent, especially young workers, with unemployment at its lowest in nearly half a century.
Walmart’s initial offer required employees to get degrees in business and supply chain management. The expanded program, it said, will add 14 new technology degrees in areas including cybersecurity and computer science.The expanded program will also seek to draw and retain high school students by offering them jobs with scheduling options, such as the opportunity to work the same day and shift for 13 weeks.