Close X
Sunday, December 22, 2024
ADVT 
International

Walmart Raises Starting Wages, Offers Bonuses Up To $1,000 To Eligible Employees

IANS, 12 Jan, 2018 12:57 PM
    Walmart, the world's largest private employer, is boosting its starting salary for US workers to $ 11 an hour, giving a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000 to eligible employees and expanding its maternity and parental leave benefits. 
     
     
    The retailer said today that changes to its compensation and benefits policy will impact more than a million hourly workers in the US. The company employs 1.5 million people in the US.
     
     
    The wage increase, up from $ 9 per hour for new workers, comes into play next month. The company is also creating a new benefit to assist employees with adoption expenses. CEO Doug McMillon said in prepared statement that recently enacted tax legislation "gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally and to accelerate plans for the US.
     
     
    Large employers have been under pressure to boost benefits for workers because unemployment rates are at historic lows, allowing job seekers to be pickier. The nation's unemployment rate has sat at 4.1 per cent for three months now, the lowest level since 2000. The average for hourly earnings rose 2.5 per cent in December from a year earlier. Still, that's about a full percentage point lower than is typical in a healthy economy.
     
     
    The pay hike at Walmart follows similar actions at rival Target Corp. Target raised its minimum hourly wage to $11 in October, and will raise wages to $ 15 by the end of 2020. The wage increase announced Thursday by Walmart benefits all hourly US workers within its stores, Sam's Clubs, eCommerce, logistics and home office.
     
     
     
    Walmart said that the one-time bonus will be given to all eligible full and part-time hourly US employees. The amount of the bonus will be based on length of service. Workers with at least 20 years qualify for a $ 1,000 bonus. Walmart today promised full-time hourly US employees 10 weeks of paid maternity leave and six weeks of paid parental leave. Salaried employees will also receive six weeks of paid parental leave.
     
     
    The Bentonville, Arkansas, company also promised help with adoptions, offering full-time hourly and salaried workers $5,000 per child that can be used for expenses such as adoption agency fees, translation fees and legal or court costs.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Senate Confirms Indian Americans Neil Chatterjee, Vishal Amin, And Krishna Urs To Key Positions

    Senate Confirms Indian Americans Neil Chatterjee, Vishal Amin, And Krishna Urs To Key Positions
    The Senate has unanimously confirmed three Indian-Americans to key government positions, including one as the Trump administration’s czar on intellectual property--an area of sharp differences between the US and India.

    Senate Confirms Indian Americans Neil Chatterjee, Vishal Amin, And Krishna Urs To Key Positions

    Hindus Are Thugs Who Killed Muslims, To Blame For Partition, Say Pak Textbooks

    Hindus Are Thugs Who Killed Muslims, To Blame For Partition, Say Pak Textbooks
    Pakistani high school student Noman Afzal knows “traitorous” Hindus are to blame for the bloodshed that erupted when British India split into two nations 70 years ago. His history textbook tells him so.

    Hindus Are Thugs Who Killed Muslims, To Blame For Partition, Say Pak Textbooks

    Petitioner Welcomes Cabinet Nod To Proxy Voting For NRIs

    Petitioner Welcomes Cabinet Nod To Proxy Voting For NRIs
    Shamsheer Vayalil, who filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding voting rights for the NRIs, on Friday welcomed the Union government's decision to clear a proposal to allow proxy voting to overseas Indians.

    Petitioner Welcomes Cabinet Nod To Proxy Voting For NRIs

    Indian Expat Found Dead In Sharjah Car Park

    Indian Expat Found Dead In Sharjah Car Park
    Dixon, 35, from Perumbavoor in the Indian state of Kerala, returned to Sharjah on July 30 from Ireland, where he went to visit his family. 

    Indian Expat Found Dead In Sharjah Car Park

    Imran Khan Faces Parliamentary Probe Into Sexual Harassment

    Pakistan’s National Assembly on Friday decided to form a special committee to probe sexual harassment allegations against flamboyant Opposition leader Imran Khan by a prominent woman lawmaker of his party.

    Imran Khan Faces Parliamentary Probe Into Sexual Harassment

    Harvard Biased Against Indians, Asians? US To Probe Complaint

    Harvard Biased Against Indians, Asians? US To Probe Complaint
    US President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to probe a complaint by four Indian-American organisations and other Asian groups that Harvard University discriminates against students from the communities in its admission process.

    Harvard Biased Against Indians, Asians? US To Probe Complaint