March 20, 2020 at 11:29 AM EDT – Updated March 20 at 12:14 PM
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) -Walmart plans to hire 150,000 U.S. hourly workers for its stores and distribution centers through the end of May.
“This initiative is aimed at helping put Americans to work, while helping Walmart better serve customers during this time of increased demand,” the company said in a press release Thursday.
The roles will be temporary at first but many will convert to permanent jobs, said Walmart spokesman Dan Bartlett. The company also stated they will reaching out to other industry groups impacted by the pandemic to “to facilitate temporary roles that can be a bridge for their employees during this difficult time.”
Walmart also announced they will be giving all their hourly employees cash bonuses for their “hard work and dedication to serving customers in a time of an unprecedented national health crisis.”
Each full-time hourly employee will receive a $300 cash bonus while each part-time employee will get $150, according to a statement from the company. The company plans to hand out the bonuses on April 2.
Along with cash bonuses, the company said scheduled quarterly bonuses will be accelerated.
Copyright 2020 Associated Press. Gray Media, Inc. contributed to this report. All rights reserved.