By Jessica Wohl
Sept 21 (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc plans to
hire more than 50,000 seasonal employees to work at its Walmart
stores in the United States, slightly more than it did last
year, as it gets ready for the winter holiday season, its
busiest time of year.
The world’s largest retailer also said on Friday that it
would give current workers the chance to work more hours during
the season. Some Walmart workers have said that they are not
given the opportunity to work as many hours as they would like.
“We know many customers are continuing to struggle as a
result of the economy and high unemployment levels, but they
have shown us that they’re resilient. They’re committed to
giving their families a memorable Christmas,” Walmart U.S. Chief
Operating Officer Gisel Ruiz said in a statement.
Walmart did not say how many seasonal workers it hired for
the 2011 holiday season, but the plan to hire more than 50,000
is up slightly from last year. The company is trying to improve
the level of service at its thousands of stores, where shoppers
often complain that they have to wait in long lines to pay.
Retailers typically add seasonal staff in the weeks leading
up to the holiday shopping season in order to work in stores and
to help in other areas, such as distribution and fulfilling
online orders.
Earlier this week, department store chain Kohl’s Corp
said it planned to increase its holiday season hiring by
more than 10 percent. Kohl’s said on Tuesday that it plans to
hire more than 52,700 people for the holiday season to work in
stores and support its online business.
Target Corp, meanwhile, said it plans to hire about
80,000 to 90,000 seasonal employees for its stores and
distribution centers. While Target plans to hire fewer than the
92,000 seasonal staff it brought on in 2011, it said that 30
percent of those who were hired to work during last year’s
holiday season were then given year-round positions.
