By Sarah Nassauer and Jaewon Kang 

Walmart Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and CVS Health Corp. are among about a dozen large companies looking to hire nearly 500,000 Americans in coming weeks, a spree that would mark a major shift of the U.S. workforce from smaller businesses and others that have cut staff to survive the coronavirus.

The hiring push comes as these companies are managing a surge in demand for food and other household products that have taxed their stores and warehouses. At the same time, they are seeking to lure hourly workers to front-line or logistics jobs where they face risks of being near co-workers or consumers that could have been exposed to the deadly respiratory virus.

"There are too many customers for our staffing to handle most of the time," said Cody Clark, who works at Brookshire's Food & Pharmacy in Tyler, Texas. Ms. Clark, 22, said she has been nervous about going to the store. "Customers come in and get frustrated whenever we don't have something. They don't understand we're putting ourselves out there."

Many of the big chains have started offering enhanced benefits, such as paid sick time and child-care services, even for temporary or part-time workers. They have also temporarily boosted their hourly wages or promised cash bonuses for the people who run cash registers, unload trucks or work in e-commerce warehouses.

The coronavirus has infected more than 32,000 Americans, prompting California, New York, Illinois and other states to order non-essential businesses to close and residents to limit their travel. Unemployment claims have surged in March as many small restaurants and retailers have shut their doors or scaled back.

Thousands of retail stores from Macy's Inc. to Best Buy Co. have temporarily closed their doors, though they continue to handle online orders and pay workers for two weeks. Marriott International Inc. plans to furlough tens of thousands of workers. But grocers and other essential stores are open and looking to poach those staff and others that have been dislocated. ((https://www.wsj.com/graphics/tracking-americas-biggest-stores-coronavirus/))

Big restaurant chains are looking to add to their fleet of delivery drivers as they shut dining rooms and more people order takeout or home delivery. On Monday, Papa John's International Inc. said it is looking to add up to 20,000 staff. Domino's Pizza Inc. said last week it would hire more than 10,000.

Walmart, the biggest U.S. private employer, is trying to make the biggest push. It plans to hire 150,000 additional people and has enhanced its paid sick-time policy for all its store and warehouse workers. It is speeding its hiring process from a typical two-week process to 24 hours.

Walmart, which employs around 1.5 million people in the U.S., also said it would pay special cash bonuses totaling $550 million to its hourly workers and its e-commerce warehouses will receive a $2-an-hour increase through late May.

"It's not so much about filling a gap, but there is just so much demand, " said Walmart's executive vice president of public affairs, Dan Bartlett, on a call with reporters last week. Absences are higher than a typical flu season, he said, but not at a level that would cause alarm.

Amazon was the first big employer to move, as online orders surged. Last week, the ecommerce giant said it planned to hire an additional 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the U.S. and raise pay for all employees in fulfillment centers, transportation, stores and deliveries in the U.S. and Canada by $2 an hour through April. Target Corp. has also raised wages for its hourly workers by $2 an hour

Grocers too have been trying to keep up with surging demand for food. Kroger Co., the nation's biggest supermarket chain, said it wants to hire 10,000 new workers at stores, manufacturing plants and distribution centers. Albertsons Cos., the second-biggest supermarket chain, said it plans to hire about 30,000 store and delivery staffers across the country. Publix Super Markets Inc. said it expects to hire at least 2,000 store and warehouse workers by the end of March.

Some grocers are implementing paid sick leave as the coronavirus spreads and their workers face more risks. Kroger has extended paid time off for workers who are self-isolating or have symptoms, in addition to those diagnosed with Covid-19 and those placed under mandatory quarantine.

On Monday, CVS said it would hire 50,000 workers across its U.S. locations. The drugstore giant also said it would offer 24 hours of paid sick leave to part-time workers and cash bonuses to employees who are required to work amid the outbreak.

Dollar General Corp., the chain of around 15,000 small stores in mostly rural areas, said Monday it plans to hire 50,000 more people by the end of April. Rival Dollar Tree Inc. is looking to add 25,000 staff.

SpartanNash Co., which owns more than 150 grocery stores and distributes food to about 2,100 more, has doubled daily hires to keep up with the rising demand. About 20 people from its corporate headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich., worked on Thursday night at a nearby store that needed extra help.

"We're hiring more people than we have ever before," said Yvonne Trupiano, chief human resources officer for SpartanNash, which operates Dan's and Econofoods chains in the Midwest.

With sales tripling in recent weeks, SpartanNash expects to hire up to 2,000 full-time, part-time and temp staffers -- a 10% increase in headcount. Ms. Trupiano said there is some concern among staffers about coming into stores where they come into contact with hundreds of customers.

The company has extended 14 days of sick pay to workers who feel ill, added more store discounts for workers and is considering temperature checks for staffers when they come to work, Ms. Trupiano said.

--Sharon Terlep contributed to this article.

Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com and Jaewon Kang at jaewon.kang@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 23, 2020 13:44 ET (17:44 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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