Walmart raises employee wages, with plans to bring company's US average hourly wage to over US$17.50/hour; company is also making investments in Auto Care Center roles and is adding new college degrees, certificates to its Live Better U program

Editor’s note: John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., sent the following note to all U.S. associates. Learn more about opportunity at Walmart here.

Continuing to Strengthen Our Jobs and Invest in Our People

To: Walmart U.S.-based associates
From: John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S. associates

At Walmart, we know our people make the difference. That’s never been more true than today – your talent and dedication to your customers is helping them live better lives every day.

And as you continue to focus on your customers, we’re focused on investing in you – our store associates – through higher wages and new opportunities to gain the skills to serve tomorrow’s customers and grow a career with Walmart.

Today, I’m happy to share our latest steps to shape jobs at Walmart – four new ways we’re investing in you.

First, starting next month, we’ll begin investing in higher wages for associates. This includes a mixture of associates’ regular annual increases and targeted investments in starting rates for thousands of stores, to ensure we have attractive pay in the markets we operate. We expect these raises will bring our U.S. average hourly wage to more than $17.50. They’ll be reflected in March 2 paychecks.

Second, we’re continuing to invest in associates who run our Auto Care Centers (ACC). Last fall we created a higher-paying ACC coach role. Now we’re introducing a higher-paying ACC team lead position and elevating the ACC tech position to a higher pay-band that reflects the special skills needed for the role and its importance to our business.

Third, we’re adding new college degrees and certificates to our Live Better U (LBU) education program. These new options are focused on where our business is headed and will equip associates with skills to unlock new career opportunities. Both part-time and full-time associates can participate in LBU on their first day and we’ll pay 100% of the tuition and fees.

Fourth, we’re expanding our Associate-to-Driver Program, which pays for supply chain associates to earn their commercial driver's license and become a Walmart truck driver earning up to $110,000 in their first year. As we announced last week, this development program is now also available to store associates.

We’re proud to continue investing in Walmart’s legacy by introducing new job opportunities and raising pay. No matter where you are in your journey, getting your start here can open doors – the first step into jobs that become careers and build better lives. 

Thank you for all you do to serve our customers and communities every day.