Walmart looks to create 34,000 U.S. jobs in 2017
Walmart, one of the nation’s largest private employers with nearly 1.5 million associates in the United States, plans to create U.S. jobs and invest in local communities across the country. The investments in the coming year will support an estimated 34,000 jobs through continued expansion and improvement in the company’s store network, as well as e-commerce services, while providing specialty training for more than 225,000 of the company’s frontline associates.
Walmart is planning $6.8 billion of capital investments in the U.S. in the coming fiscal year, which includes construction and remodeling of stores, clubs and distribution centers, as well as the expansion of new services such as online grocery pickup. Walmart’s fiscal year begins Feb. 1
"Walmart is investing to better serve customers,” Dan Bartlett, Walmart executive vice president for corporate affairs, said in a press release. “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.”
Approximately 10,000 retail jobs are expected to be created through the opening of 59 new, expanded and relocated Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities as well as e-commerce services. Additionally, an estimated 24,000 construction jobs supported through the opening of those facilities, plus the remodeling and improvement of existing U.S. facilities.
By July of this year, Walmart will open 160 new training academies around the country, bringing the total number of Academies to 200. More than 225,000 associates will receive up to six weeks of specialty training and graduate from the academies in 2017.
The Walmart Academies are a network of facilities where frontline hourly supervisors and assistant store managers receive hands-on training in retail fundamentals, leadership skills and the specifics of how to run individual store departments. The training is designed to help associates be successful in their careers and in meeting the changing needs of customers.
The company’s investment in American jobs includes a 2013 commitment to purchase an additional $250 billion in American-made, grown, assembled and sourced products through 2023, estimated to help create 1 million jobs, based on data from Boston Consulting Group.
Under the initiative, Walmart works with thousands of suppliers to help them gain access to the retailer’s shelves in stores and online. In the coming year, the program will continue to provide job-creating opportunities.
