Retail giant Walmart has announced that it will cover its employees’ tuition fees. The group is reacting to an acute labor shortage.
The retail chain Walmart wants to pay the tuition fees at ten universities for all employees in the future. The largest private employer in the United States announced in a statement on Tuesday. The group is reacting to a growing shortage of employees.
Books should also be paid for
According to the announcement, the education program “Live Better U” will be open to each of the 1.5 million US employees. The offer is initially valid for ten universities, including the University of Arizona, Southern New Hampshire University and Penn Foster College. Provided that the participants continue to work full-time or part-time for Walmart in addition to their studies, the company covers all fees and also covers the costs of books.
Even today, many young US citizens still go into debt for a university degree. of the National Center for Education and Statistics, a course in the USA cost an average of $ 24,623 in 2019.
Previously, Walmart had subsidized student employees with a dollar a day. According to the company’s own information, around 52,000 employees have so far participated in the program, which started in 2018.
Walmart is now committed to investing nearly $ 1 billion in education and training opportunities over the next five years, the press release said. “We’re creating opportunities for our employees to advance their careers at Walmart so they can build better lives for themselves and their families,” said Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership.
In addition, the group will also offer university degrees and certificates in the fields of business administration, logistics and cybersecurity.
974,000 retail outlets vacant
According to “CNN” Walmart is responding to an acute labor shortage in the US. Retailers across the country are struggling to find employees. According to a report by “USA Today”, this is also due to the ongoing corona pandemic: Many employees have not returned to their workplaces for fear of the virus, among other things. According to this, 974,000 retail positions were vacant in May.
At the beginning of the year, Walmart raised the wages of 425,000 employees – from eleven to 13 dollars an hour. The Walmart minimum wage is still well below that of competitors like Amazon and Target, who paid $ 15.
Walmart has 2.2 million employees worldwide – 1.5 million of them in the US alone. With sales of 559 billion US dollars, the group was also ranked number one among the world’s top-selling companies in 2021.
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Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
