- Walmart isn’t hiring a ton of seasonal employees for the holiday rush this year.
- This holiday strategy stands in contrast with that of other retailers, like Target.
- A Walmart representative told Business Insider that the chain’s practice reflects the investment it’s put into training its associates.
The holidays are fast approaching, but Walmart isn’t following the trend of bulking up its workforce with a slew of seasonal hires.
For the third year in a row, the retail giant plans to handle the holiday rush by offering its 1.5 million US-based employees extra hours in order to handle the holiday rush. This strategy sets Walmart apart from retailers, like Amazon and Kohl’s, that bring in temporary workers during the busier times of the year.
“Many associates are interested in working extra hours during the holidays,” a Walmart representative told Time.
A Walmart representative told Business Insider that the strategy reflects the chain’s investment in training its associates.
“We’ve got a really strong, trained workforce that’s able to take on those hours,” the representative said.
The representative said that extra hours are there for associates who want them throughout the year, but added that associates aren’t forced to take on more hours.
Back in 2016, the organization OUR Walmart successfully petitioned for a new scheduling system that enabled associates to ask for more hours.
Nowadays, Walmart’s policy of relying on associates might spare the employer somewhat amidst a tight job market that favors “employees over employers,” Business Insider’s Rachel Premack reported.
The job market is causing problems for retailers that rely on the labor of seasonal workers. Business Insider’s Mary Hanbury reported that Target, JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Macy’s will likely feel the pinch during the annual hunt for seasonal workers.
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