Walmart adds employee bonus for hourly US workers

Full- and part-time hourly Walmart workers now eligible for bonuses

Walmart is now offering bonuses to its hourly employees in the U.S., the company announced Wednesday.

The retail behemoth said in a press release that full- and part-time hourly workers will be eligible for the new bonus, which it says "rewards great work and customer service, and it celebrates long-term associates who build a career." 

walmart worker in a store

A worker walks through the aisles in a Walmart Supercenter in Hallandale Beach, Floeida, on Feb. 20. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

The longer an associate has been with the company, the higher the associate's bonus potential, to a maximum of $1,000.

"It's important that we are competitive on base wages," Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner told reporters about the move on a press call.

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A worker has to be with the company for a year to be eligible for the bonus, which is calculated based on stores achieving certain performance targets, he added.

Walmart

Walmart is now offering a bonus to hourly employees. (Reuters/Mike Segar/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
WMT WALMART INC. 68.24 +0.17 +0.25%

Walmart, Inc.

The new bonuses are the latest pay boost for Walmart's 700,000 front-line workers, whose average pay has been raised some 30% over the past five years to nearly $18 an hour. 

Walmart employs about 1.7 million U.S. workers, a majority of whom staff its 5,000 stores.

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Its minimum hourly wage starts from $14, less than the $15 starting wage at Amazon.com and Target. However, starting pay for a Walmart associate can be as high as $19 an hour, depending on the store location.

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AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 197.59 -2.41 -1.21%
TGT TARGET CORP. 144.80 -0.59 -0.41%

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Earlier this year, Walmart gave its U.S. store managers a raise, lifting their average salary to $128,000 and increasing their annual bonus potential to as high as 200% of their annual salary.

Reuters contributed to this report.