Largest Retail in the US Walmart Woos High Schoolers Amid a Labor Shortage

In a bid to combat a labor shortage of workers, retail giant Walmart, which is the largest private employer in the U.S., is heavily recruiting high school students to become the next generation of Walmart employees. Previously we discussed how McDonald’s has focused on older workers to increase their pool of employees. The retail industry is suffering a similar worker shortage as restaurants.
Walmart’s program offers eligible teens free standardized test prep for the ACT and SAT and flexible work schedules. After finishing high school,  young workers  may qualify  for Walmart’s $1 a day college education benefit called “Live Better U” Scholar Awards. The college assistance benefit which was launched 2018, allows students to graduate college virtually debt free. To date, the benefit has exceeded company expectations. Over than 7,500 Walmart associates have enrolled in Live Better U. In addition to earning $1 a day college, the program also offers discounts on graduate degrees.
“[We] know that high school students face challenges when it comes to work and education. We know that the cost of college remains a significant barrier for many high school students, and also leads to student loans and costly debt,” Julie Murphy, the EVP of People, told Yahoo Finance.
High school students currently make up less than 25,000 of Walmart’s 1.4 million U.S.-based store associates.Currently US student is around  But with student loan debt sitting at $1.5 trillion, young person may find Walmart’s initiatives enticing. Also the programs may go a long way to quell recent pressure and critics of Walmart’s low wages.
More than 300 of Walmart’s current store managers started at the company as high school students. The staring wage for hourly employees is $11, and store managers can earn up to $175,000 per year. For the new anti labor shortage initiatives, Walmart has partnered with Guild Education, a firm that helps companies offer education benefits to employees.
Running a retail store can be complex, considering the amount of sales, inventory, and clients you may have. Quality, rapid customer service thus becomes hard to maintain. Sintel System’s Retail POS presents you with the opportunity to manage your store through our operating system. Overseeing your store has never been easier. Detailed reports such as hourly/daily, employee, and top sales records are available. With our system, keeping count of inventory is easy as well as inputting and changing prices. Sintel Systems is a global leader in POS solutions.