New Jobs Push From Walmart

Retailing giant Walmart, also the largest employer in the United States among private entities, said Tuesday (Jan. 17) that it would add 10,000 retail jobs in the new fiscal year, which begins next month.

The firm has 1.5 million associates, reported Chain Store Age. The jobs initiatives that begins Feb. 1 will come in tandem with the opening of 59 new, expanded Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, and the company also is boosting its eCommerce operations.

As those stores are built and remodeled, the construction needs of those projects will generate an additional 24,000 construction jobs. The total capital outlays Walmart is planning for the fiscal year, at $6.8 billion, will include those new plans.

Chain Store Age reported that Dan Bartlett, Walmart executive VP for corporate affairs, said that the company is “investing to better serve customers. With a presence in thousands of communities and a vast supplier network, we know we play an important role in supporting and creating American jobs. Our 2017 plans to grow our business — and our support for innovation in the textile industry — will have a meaningful impact across the count[r]y.”