Wal-Mart announced today, Sept. 17, that it plans to hire 60,000 associates to cover the holiday season shopping rush. The new, seasonal hires will start at $9 per hour.
A news release said current employees will also be given the opportunity to take on additional hours during the season.
“We know some of these hires are looking for a short-term opportunity to earn extra Christmas money, but for many, this could be the start of a career,” Wal-Mart U.S. Chief Operating Officer Judith McKenna said in the release.
“In fact we have hundreds of store managers who started with the company as a seasonal associate. Last year, more than half of our seasonal associates stayed with Wal-Mart in a permanent role after the holidays.”
To enhance its growing digital and mobile shopping presence, the company is also adding department managers in more than 3,500 during the holidays to specifically serve customers coming into the store to pick up online orders.
The company also plans to continue its “checkout promise” and have more registers open during peak shopping times.