Walmart Dangles 17% Bump in Starting Wage in Tight Labor Market
- Minimum hourly rate rises to $14 following surge in inflation
- Increase will ‘ensure we have attractive pay,’ US chief says
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Walmart Inc., the largest private-sector employer in the US, is raising its starting wage 17% after a surge in inflation last year and heightened competition for workers.
The lowest initial wage will jump to $14 an hour from $12 next month, Walmart said in an email Tuesday. The hourly average will rise to $17.50, up 2.9% from the summer level and 6.7% more than in September 2021. US consumer prices climbed 6.5% in December from a year earlier.