The Week WALMART TO RAISE WAGES FOR 425,000 WORKERS

Walmart is raising wages for 425,000 of its 1.5 million U.S. workers and is investing $14 billion this year to speed up its distribution network as the nation’s largest retailer navigates vast industry changes that were accelerated by the pandemic.

Walmart has pushed hard into fast and convenient delivery during the pandemic. But even the massive infrastructure put in place by Walmart in recent years has been strained by the crush of orders from millions of people sheltering at home.

The company announced plans this year to build warehouses at stores where self-driving robots will fetch groceries to be picked up within an hour or less by customers. And that was before Thursday’s announcement that it was bumping related spending by $14 billion. Walmart is raising its average hourly wage to more than $15 an hour, up from more than $14 per hour. The pay raises will be concentrated in online and stocking roles. Amazon and Target have already increased hourly wages to $15 for all workers.