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Walmart is a people-led, tech-powered company dedicated to helping people save money and live better. As of the end of FY2024, we employed approximately 2.1 million associates around the world, with approximately 1.6 million associates in the U.S.¹³, to deliver on our purpose. Our people strategy focuses on associate well-being, growth, digital experiences, and a culture of belonging. We believe our people strategy allows us to attract, develop, and retain associates in a competitive retail market and thereby deliver a better customer and member experience.

With a U.S. associate base that is 92% hourly, of which a substantial portion are under age 30, Walmart can provide a foundational entry point for people to develop critical skills relevant to careers at Walmart and beyond. Our investments in wages, benefits, skills training, and education aid associates in their careers, the customers they serve, and the communities in which they live.  Furthermore, we believe our business and philanthropic efforts to promote a skills-based approach to workforce development beyond Walmart further enhances upward mobility and economic growth in the communities we serve.

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We believe Walmart has a differentiated employment proposition, which includes:

• Governance and Accountability: Ensuring our efforts meet the needs of our associates and in turn our customers and business.
• Associate Well-Being: Prioritizing the financial, physical, and emotional well-being of associates through, for example, the stability of a workforce that is approximately two-thirds full-time, competitive pay and benefits, predictable scheduling, and medical plans that include access to distinctive Centers of Excellence such as Mayo Clinic.
• Associate Growth: Providing opportunities for all associates to learn and grow through in-house skills training programs, an industry-leading education platform, and many pathways to promotion and careers.
• Associate Belonging: Striving for every associate to feel seen, supported, and connected at Walmart, rooted in respect for the individual.
• Digital Enablement for Associates: Equipping our associates with digital skills and tools to improve their experience and enhance their productivity.
• Opportunity Beyond Walmart: Strengthening U.S. frontline workforce skills development in retail and related sectors through multi-stakeholder collaboration, advocacy, and philanthropic initiatives.

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Governance and Accountability

Governance mechanisms for our people strategy include the following:

• Board and Board Committee Oversight: The Compensation and Management Development Committee of Walmart’s Board of Directors has oversight responsibility regarding Walmart’s people management strategies, including associate compensation and benefits, as well as pay equity, culture, and strategies and initiatives to promote belonging.  Walmart’s Board of Directors includes Directors with diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints. For further information, see Walmart Inc., “2024 Proxy Statement,” pg. 4.
• Management Oversight: Walmart's EVP and Chief People Officer oversees Walmart's people strategies.  The President’s Inclusion Council comprises Walmart officers, including Walmart's President and CEO, and serves in an advisory capacity to Walmart’s Executive Council and the entire organization to help Walmart foster a culture of belonging across the enterprise. The members, who serve a two-year term, represent each of Walmart’s business segments.
• Building Leadership Accountability: We focus on building accountable leaders who foster a sense of belonging. Our Leadership Expectations, which inform Walmart associate performance evaluations, are tied to our core values, such as Respect for the Individual. Walmart associates are expected to ensure everyone has the same access to opportunities for growth, development, and advancement. They should also embrace a welcoming and safe workplace where individuals can respectfully express their unique backgrounds, identities, and perspectives without fear of discrimination or harassment. Walmart is dedicated to maintaining a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. Violations of our Global Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy, which lead to written disciplinary action, or violations of Walmart’s Code of Conduct, may result in a reduction of certain associates' Management Incentive Plan payout, depending on the level of violation.
• Measurement and Reporting: We publicly disclose key metrics related to our people and belonging strategies in order to foster accountability and trust.¹⁴ Current information on these metrics and other related metrics can be found in our Belonging Report and EEO-1 Report in addition to our Key Metrics table above.

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Associate Well-Being

Through competitive compensation, benefits, and scheduling, we support associates' financial, physical, and emotional well-being. For example, Walmart provides comprehensive benefits—including health coverage, a 401(k) plan, and paid time off to part- and full-time associates, many of which start on the first day of employment.

Financial Well-being

We aim to enhance the financial well-being of our associates by offering our majority full-time workforce predictable and flexible scheduling, paid leave, and competitive wages and benefits.

Majority Full-Time Workforce and Predictable Scheduling

Approximately two-thirds of our U.S. hourly associates¹⁵ are full-time. Full-time jobs can lead to greater take-home pay for associates while helping them gain the skills needed for advancement. We continue to offer part-time roles, which some associates prefer as a way to supplement household income and build new skills while managing other interests and obligations.

Walmart’s scheduling system is built around predictability, consistency, and flexibility to support the varying preferences and needs of associates while meeting the needs of our customers.

• Scheduling control: Using the Me@Walmart app on their phones, associates can view their schedules up to two weeks in advance; pick up extra shifts; trade shifts with each other, view and request time off; and clock in.
• Consistent scheduling: Walmart offers set schedules—up to 40 hours a week—so full-time associates can work alongside their teammates with the same shifts on the same days each week. This helps associates plan for life outside of work and know what to expect in their paychecks.

Paid Leave Benefits

• Paid time off (PTO): Walmart’s PTO policy for U.S. full- and part-time frontline hourly associates provides associates flexibility by combining paid sick leave, vacation time, personal time, and holiday time. “Protected” PTO begins on day one to cover unplanned absences and regular PTO is earned over time.
• Parental leave: Walmart provides U.S. salaried and full-time hourly associates with maternity and parental leave benefits. Parental leave applies to associates who become parents through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.¹⁶ Full-time hourly associates who become parents are provided six weeks of paid time off to bond with a new child and the birth mother is provided ten weeks of paid maternity leave (which can be added to parental leave for a total of 16 weeks).¹⁷ In FY2024, approximately 29,000 Walmart parents took advantage of maternity leave or parental leave.

Wage Structure and Pay

Offering competitive wages by role and market helps us to recruit the talent we need to run our business. Our wage structure and pay practices reflect consideration of numerous relevant factors, including the skills necessary to do the job, business format (e.g., store, club, distribution/fulfillment center), local market labor conditions (competitive compensation for similar work and cost of living), and fairness relative to other roles in the company and parity across race, ethnicity, and gender.

We continually review and invest in wages at all levels of our hourly workforce, raising minimum starting wages by over 90% since 2015 and average hourly wages by nearly 30% since 2020. Additionally, we continue to strategically invest in wages in key roles such as store manager, increasing base compensation and bonus potential and adding a stock component.

Additional Financial Benefits

Beyond wages, we provide benefits aimed at promoting associates' financial well-being, including:

• Discounts and free memberships: Walmart associates receive a discount card²⁴ that provides a 10% discount on fresh fruits, vegetables, and regularly priced general merchandise, plus select merchandise on Walmart.com; eligible associates also receive a free Walmart+ membership. Sam’s Club associates working in clubs receive a Sam’s Club Plus membership and a 10% discount on fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Retirement: Our competitive retirement benefits²⁵ includes a 401(k)-contribution plan for all U.S. associates beginning on their first day of work and a match of up to 6% for full- and part-time hourly U.S. associates credited with 1,000 hours of service during their first year.  In FY2024, our 401(k) program had an average enrollment of approximately 704,000 and Walmart’s company match in the U.S. totaled $1.6 billion.
• Stock ownership programs: In FY2024, 41% of our active full-time and salaried U.S. associates participated in at least one of Walmart’s stock ownership programs, including our Associate Stock Purchase Plan (ASSP) and the Walmart Stock Incentive Plan. Of the nearly 480,000 Walmart associates who participate in our Associate Stock Purchase Program, more than 81% are hourly associates²⁶. In 2024, we announced a three-for-one stock split to help more of our associates participate in our ASSP.²⁷ Since the stock split, associate participation in our stock purchase plan has increased by nearly 16%. Age-eligible associates can participate in an associate stock purchase plan with company match. Walmart matches 15% of the first $1,800 U.S. associates contribute to their stock purchase program each year, up to $270 per plan year.²⁸ Associates eligible for stock awards include officers, certain home office salaried members of management, certain supply chain management, market managers, and store/club managers.²⁹
• Financial planning tools: We provide associates access to tools and apps managed by expert third parties to help them manage their money and plan for bills, savings, and spending. When unexpected expenses occur, associates can also access earned wages ahead of scheduled paychecks. More than half of our U.S. associates are using these tools to help them with their finances.
• Financial education: Walmart collaborates with external market leaders to provide educational tools and resources to help associates learn about financial topics such as budgeting, credit scores, and investing. These collaborations, such as with Khan Academy, have also delivered associates access to online courses that will help equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to make highly informed decisions about their money.

Physical Well-being

We are committed to providing associates and their family members who utilize our medical plans with access to affordable, high-quality care while also encouraging physical wellness.

Medical Plans

• Affordable and accessible medical coverage: Full-time associates and eligible part-time associates have access to health coverage through Walmart. For 2024, medical coverage starts at $34.50 per biweekly pay period, approximately one-third less than the average premium employees pay at other companies nationally.³⁰
• Centers of Excellence: To provide our associates with quality care, Walmart partners with leading health centers, including the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and the Mayo Clinic. For associates enrolled in most Walmart medical plans, our Centers of Excellence program provides access to some of the best specialists and hospitals for serious medical issues, often at zero cost, based on plan enrollment and eligibility. Procedures covered include transplants, heart, spine, and weight loss surgery; hip and knee replacements; fertility treatment; and cancer care for virtually all types of cancers. 96% of enrolled medical members using the Centers of Excellence are field associates.
• Virtual healthcare: Most Walmart medical plans include affordable, nationwide, virtual access to health care providers at no cost for services including mental health, urgent, and primary care.
• Family-building support: Walmart is committed to supporting its associates as they grow their families. Benefits offered include:
  • Fertility care: Up to $20,000 to support fertility treatment through Walmart’s Centers of Excellence program and open to associates and adult family members enrolled in most Walmart medical plans.
  • Surrogacy and adoption: Up to $20,000 reimbursement of eligible surrogacy and adoption services and open to all salaried management (upon hire) and full-time hourly associates (after 12 months of employment).
  • Doula services: Up to $1,000 for doula services during pregnancy, part of a suite of benefits offered through our Life with Baby program, which is available to associates on most Walmart medical plans.
  • Childcare support: Walmart provides childcare options for our campus-based associates in Northwest Arkansas through our Little Squiggles Children's Enrichment Center and Sam's Club Kids Club.

Encouraging Physical Wellness

• Fitness Pass: Fitness Pass provides U.S. associates and their family members access to digital fitness content for $5 per pay period or access to thousands of nationwide gyms plus digital content for as little as $9 per pay period.
• A financial incentive for healthier life choices: Associates and their families can be rewarded for making better choices such as eating healthier, walking more, or saving more with the Thrive Challenge.

Emotional Well-being

Walmart provides associates and their family members access to resources like 24/7, no-cost counseling sessions, peer-to-peer support groups, and educational tools that are tailored to their unique needs. Initiatives include:

• No-cost behavioral health services: Walmart associates and their family members can receive confidential no-cost counseling with a licensed therapist 24/7. Whatever the need, associates get 20 free sessions for themselves and their household family members through channels that fit them best – in person, on the phone, via video, or via chat.
• Workforce mental health training: Walmart requires emotional well-being awareness education for leaders - both in the field and at our offices – to better equip them to recognize signs that associates might be struggling with mental health issues, how to respond, and how to connect associates with resources to help.
• Outreach: Mental health professionals reach out to associates in certain states with the goal of providing support and an early connection to care.
• Group support: Associates can access anonymous peer support and group chat in moderated forums, allowing them to connect with people who understand their struggles.

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Associate Growth

Career and Growth Opportunities

Since our founding, Walmart has served as an entry point to gain skills and a ladder of opportunity. While people join us at many different stages in life, nearly 40% of Walmart's U.S. hourly workforce is under the age of 30, with more than 11% under the age of 20 – an important time in a career to gain skills and experience and progress to roles of greater responsibility and higher pay.

Since Walmart offers a wide range of jobs, we have prioritized strategies for increasing access to jobs at all levels, including:

• Streamlined application process: We have a simplified hiring process where frontline applicants can apply in-store, online, or from our associate-facing online hiring center.
• Valuing skills and knowledge: As an employer, Walmart values skills and knowledge gained through work experience, volunteerism, military service, and education, as well as individual interests and aptitude. We are auditing roles and rewriting job descriptions to include the skills required for each job to augment our hiring strategy and broaden our talent pool.
• Countering degree inflation: Walmart does not require college degrees for most jobs, including store managers, who earned an average total compensation of approximately $216,800 in FY2024. For jobs where a degree is required or encouraged, we have adjusted our education benefit to offer more short-term options for associates to quickly obtain skills they need to advance. Additionally, we have targeted our degree offerings to specific jobs and skills where we believe a degree is the best education option.

Our associates see this in practice with about two-thirds reporting through our Associate Engagement Survey that they believe they have career growth opportunities at Walmart and access to the experiences and opportunities that will help them achieve their career goals.

• Walmart U.S. associates receive their first promotion, on average, within eight months of joining the company.
• Over the last five years (FY2020-FY2024), an average of more than 180,000 U.S. associates received promotions each year.
• 86% of U.S. roles above entry level were filled internally in FY2024.
• Approximately 75% of our U.S. salaried store, club, and supply-chain management started their careers in hourly positions.  Associates in these roles earned an average of more than $111,000 in FY2024.

We believe this ability to grow a career is a significant reason why many associates choose to stay with Walmart. As of the end of FY2024, the average tenure for a Walmart associate in the U.S. was 5 years; over 300,000 U.S. associates have spent more than 10 years with Walmart; and over 50,000 associates have been with the company for 25 years or more.

Learning Ecosystem: Training and Education

Our learning ecosystem provides associates access to training and education to help them meet their career goals while providing Walmart a ready source of top talent as our business grows and evolves. In July 2021, Walmart committed to invest nearly $1 billion over five years in career-driven training and education. As of FYE 2024, we have invested approximately $560 million.

Preparing Associates for In-Demand Roles

As our business evolves, we want to help Walmart and Sam’s Club associates gain the skills, knowledge, and experience required to take on new roles – including approximately 100,000 “in-demand” positions in the U.S.:

Training: On-the-Job Development and Walmart Academy Trainings

Walmart incorporates training and development of part- and full-time associates throughout the associate experience, starting on day one. Associate training and development strengthen our business; for example, the top third of Walmart U.S. stores in terms of training completion demonstrate increased customer net promoter and Clean Fast & Friendly scores, associate engagement, and retention.

Our approach to training and development includes:

On-the-job: Our teaming structure – an operating model that places associates on teams with tiered positions where they are responsible for specific store areas – provides cross-training and on-the-job development starting on day one with the company. It also creates clear pathways for career progression as frontline associates gain the skills to lead their own team.

On-demand: Store associates use our in-house-designed Walmart Academy learning app during their onboarding process and early in a new role to receive training on the fundamentals of success in their role, including customer service, execution of core functions for their department, safety, and compliance. Store associates can also access the full training library for just-in-time training on specialized functions and to explore areas of personal interest. They can earn knowledge badges that signal to managers an associate's interest in growth and potential career paths. Additionally, Walmart Academy provides virtual reality training to help associates learn through real-life scenarios, such as learning how to do an oil change in the Auto Care Center.

Formal and in-person: Walmart has approximately 200 physical Walmart Academies in the United States focused on developing strong people leaders. In-person Academy-led training typically starts at the hourly supervisor level – the first rung of the leadership ladder at Walmart. New-to-role hourly supervisors receive a two-week, in-person Leadership and Operations training, focusing on Walmart culture and values, key leadership skills, and functional skills necessary for success in role. New salaried managers receive more advanced training in a similar format through our Manager Academy program. Manager Academy is designed to help managers – those who lead stores, clubs, and supply-chain facilities – be effective leaders and keepers of our purpose, values, and culture. Since launching in 2022, more than 3,000 leaders have gone through the program. Manager Academy begins with a 360-degree performance review based on anonymous feedback from associates in their facilities and others with whom they work closely. The Academy includes a five-day session at our Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas in which participants are guided through a series of classroom discussions and hands-on experiences that bring our culture and values to life. Participants spend time with senior leaders, including our CEO, who reinforce the importance of their role in representing our culture as they lead and grow associates.

In FY2024, approximately 300,000 associates in the U.S. received training via Walmart Academy, including in-person and virtual training.

Education Offerings: Walmart’s Live Better U

While Walmart has prioritized upward mobility through on-the-job, digital, and in-person training programs, formal education can help open even more career paths. Our Live Better U (LBU) education benefit offers more than 1.5 million U.S. part- and full-time hourly Walmart and Sam's Club associates access to formal education opportunities, including high school completion, short-form programs, certification programs, and college degrees, where Walmart pays 100% of the costs.

We curate the programs to focus on relevance to careers at Walmart and beyond in a changing economy, offering degrees and credentials from top-ranked colleges, universities, and institutions with proven track records of delivering results for adult learners. We enhanced LBU in 2024 to more than double the offering of certificates and courses, which associates can earn in an average of four months, emphasizing relevance for in-demand and higher-paying jobs like project management, software development, transportation, and logistics management.

Since launching the LBU program in 2018:

• More than 125,000 associates have enrolled in LBU, including nearly 26,000 in FY2024.
• Associates have completed over 23,000 programs, including diplomas, credentials, and degrees.
• Associates have saved an estimated $688 million in tuition costs.³¹

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Digital Enablement for Associates

As customer expectations change, so will our associate roles, responsibilities, and skill requirements. We are investing to equip our associates with digital tools intended to improve their productivity and efficiency and enhance their overall experience.

Digital tools for frontline associates: We invest in consumer-grade technology to improve the associate experience and enhance productivity. For example:

• The Me@Walmart apps allow associates to manage their schedules, make changes to personal benefits such as their 401(k) or Stock Purchase Plan, and provide a one-stop shop to submit feedback or Open Door concerns and lodge an issue with Walmart Ethics through MyFeedback.
• At Walmart, our VizPick technology maps and tracks backroom inventory through augmented reality technology, accelerating a formerly manual process.
• At Sam’s Club, the Own Your Inventory app provides associates with insights into real-time inventory using computer vision technology, so they can help members find any product they need, when they need it, and at the right price.

MyAssistant generative AI: MyAssistant is a generative AI tool to support associate productivity by reducing manual, repetitive tasks such as document creation, calculations, and project plans. MyAssistant has been expanded into some of our international markets.

Digitizing training: Walmart Academy offers on-demand virtual learning on a variety of topics. For example, training on many job-related functions is built into the Me@Walmart app. Associates have completed more than 17 million nano-learnings as of July 2024.

Preparing associates for digitally enabled roles: We have designed and implemented training curricula to help associates make the transition from the jobs of today (e.g., manual order filling, unloading) to tech-enabled jobs (e.g., automated equipment operator, autonomous forklift operator, maintenance technician). For example, we provide a six-week course on how to operate and troubleshoot the software systems that run automated equipment.

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Associate Belonging

Recruitment and Hiring

Walmart is a workforce entry point, where people can gain skills and experience to pursue the career path that is right for them. We have continued to evolve our recruiting and hiring processes to provide equal access to opportunities for growth, development, and advancement, and to help associates be seen for the unique skills and experiences they bring to the job. Examples of how we do this include:

• Removing barriers: We seek to remove unnecessary barriers to getting a job. For example, we do not require college degrees for a majority of jobs; we have removed degree requirements from job descriptions; and instead, we promote skill recognition as a primary basis for hiring and promotion. To help ensure a fair recruitment and hiring experience for our U.S. workforce, hiring managers and recruiters follow a set of principles including sourcing a broad pool of qualified candidates and refraining from requesting salary history to set pay for external candidates.  All hiring managers can access interactive, scenario-based interview training that emphasizes the importance of structured interviews and reviews how to mitigate bias.
• Veterans and military spouses: Veterans develop skills that translate well to business. Since FY2014, Walmart has hired over 400,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses; in FY2024, we hired over 30,000 veterans and over 18,000 military spouses.
• Collegiate recruiting: We support early career candidates across a broad portfolio of schools. Programs include mock interviews, résumé-writing workshops, career fairs, and summits to expose students to Northwest Arkansas.
• Fair-chance hiring. We strive to lower barriers to gainful employment, help people obtain valuable work experience, and help them advance on the job. We were at the forefront of the movement to “ban the box” that asks about prior criminal convictions on the initial job application. We conduct pre-employment background checks only after a conditional job offer. Our Individualized Assessment process offers candidates a meaningful opportunity to submit additional information to put a criminal record in context. In 2021, in coordination with the Business Roundtable and other member companies, Walmart was a founding member of the Second Chance Business Coalition, committed to expanding opportunities for employment and greater upward mobility for people with criminal records. 

Development and Advancement

We believe that promotion from within, based on meaningful factors like skills, experience, and performance, serves our customer well and expands career advancement opportunities for our associates. We focus on:

• Fair and objective talent management tools and processes. We seek to ensure our talent management processes are data-driven and objective. Leaders have access to a talent toolkit that helps them to have career conversations with associates prior to performance reviews, identify talent based on objective factors, and recognize and mitigate unconscious biases. For promotion to officer roles, Walmart leverages psychometric tools that provide insights on leadership strengths, potential gaps, and readiness in addition to other information about the candidate like prior performance, qualifications, and experience.
• Internal promotions as a key outcome and strategy. We have a strong track record of internal promotions with more than 180,000 U.S. associates receiving promotions each year on average and 86% of U.S. roles above entry level filled internally in FY2024. In FY2024, women and people of color each earned more than half of U.S. hourly-to-hourly promotions. Additionally, women and people of color earned 43.4% and 44.8% of total U.S. management promotions, respectively.

Mentoring and Support

Initiatives to support a culture of belonging include:

• Mentoring programs: Mentor circles help accelerate the growth and development of associate talent through increased exposure and opportunity. More than 30,000 associates participated in mentoring circles in FY2024. 
• Associate Resource Groups: Walmart’s nine Associate Resource Groups (ARGs) are organized and led by associates, with support from the People team, and include, for example, SERVES (with a focus on veterans and military families), the Black and African American Resource Group (BAARG), and the Women’s Resource Council (WRC). Each group is open to all campus-based associates and are designed to further engagement, foster connection, and provide feedback on ways Walmart can better serve all stakeholders.
• Community Champions: More than 1,300 Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Clubs have trained Community Champions, associates who help strengthen relationships between their stores and local communities by engaging associates and customers to Spark Good through in-store activations, representing Walmart in community events, supporting Walmart’s local charitable giving, and helping to drive volunteer events.

Read more in our 2024 Annual Belonging Report.

Associate Feedback and Engagement

At Walmart, we believe that listening and responding to associate perspectives are essential to associate job satisfaction, shows respect for the individual, cultivates a sense of belonging, while enhancing our business performance.

How we seek feedback: We believe hearing directly from associates is the best way to understand and act on opinions, feedback, ideas, and suggestions. In addition to face-to-face interaction, digital tools facilitate real-time insights from millions of individual points of view. Walmart provides multiple channels for associates to be heard, which allow us to hear from thousands of associates each week, including through:

• In-person dialogue: Our primary method of communication will always be in-person, through associate/manager meetings, team huddles, and day-to-day interactions.
• Leadership visits and listening sessions: Officers including functional leaders, Walmart CEO, Walmart U.S. CEO, and other Executive Council members frequently visit Walmart facilities around the country to listen and learn. We conduct listening sessions in connection with major associate gatherings like our shareholders' meeting and holiday meeting. In 2023, there were dozens of such group listening sessions with hourly associates and Walmart managers.
• Formal surveys: Walmart’s annual Associate Engagement Survey (AES) measures associate sentiment on a variety of topics such as manager and team relationships, career growth and opportunity, belonging, and company culture, providing a platform for associates to share how the company can improve the work experience. More than one million associates responded and more than half a million associates provided open-text feedback in 2023. Additionally, monthly pulse surveys for Walmart U.S. provides the opportunity for more regular check-ins with over two million responses submitted in 2023.
• Associate ideation: U.S.-based associates can submit ideas through MyIdeas, an always-on, associate-initiated listening channel that considers associate ideas such as process efficiency improvements, workplace safety, customer service enhancements, technology innovations, and initiatives to improve work-life balance and job satisfaction. More than 32,000 ideas were collected from this channel in FY2024. Each idea is reviewed and the platform allows associates to check on the status of their submission and receive feedback on implementation.
• Confidential resources: Often associates want to share feedback and concerns confidentially or anonymously and we provide avenues for doing so:
  • The Open Door process allows associates to share ideas, ask questions, and raise concerns in good faith with their supervisors and other leaders at any time without fear of retaliation. Additionally, U.S.-based associates can utilize the MyFeedback Portal which was designed and launched as a digital, intuitive, self-service site to access confidential channels. Hundreds of associates utilize this channel each month.
  • Walmart’s Ethics channels allow associates to make anonymous and confidential reports via a toll-free hotline, email address, and web portal. Walmart strictly forbids retaliation against any associate who reports a concern in good faith. We train our associates to be able to recognize and speak up about retaliation and other issues. We annually survey associates on their knowledge of these channels. Read more: Ethics & Compliance

How we take responsive action: To drive responsiveness and accountability, regional and divisional leaders as well as their People team partners routinely review associate feedback and insights from channels like our pulse survey. They track progress against goals and action plans and adjust priorities as needed.

Feedback trends and themes are also analyzed centrally to identify major areas that can be strengthened across our programs. Examples include:

• Associate store bonuses: We received associate feedback seeking more opportunities to invest in their respective stores' success. Walmart launched a bonus program for eligible full- and part-time hourly store associates. This program awards bonuses based on store performance and associates' length of service.
• Education: We also received feedback from associates seeking to gain job-relevant skills more quickly. Walmart has more than doubled the number of short-form certificates and courses we offer through Live Better U (to over 50).

Freedom of association and collective bargaining: Walmart’s Board-approved Human Rights Statement expresses a firm commitment to respect the basic rights of our associates as those rights are defined under applicable law in the countries in which we operate and from which we source the products we sell. Those basic rights include freedom of association and the effective recognition of collective bargaining. We recognize there are different views about freedom of association. Our view is, consistent with applicable law, that Walmart respects the rights of associates to join, form, or not to join an employee association or trade union of their choice without interference. We also believe that associates should exercise these rights in an informed manner and with the benefit of thoughtful consideration of available information including the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and information, provided there is no interference.

We have a robust labor compliance program designed so that freedom of association is upheld and is consistent with Walmart’s policies, positions, and relevant laws. For example:

• All supervisors of associates receive training that includes information on respecting associates’ rights. Training is provided to newly-promoted supervisors with regular follow-up.
• Human Resources and Operations teams regularly conduct facility visits to ensure our policies and expectations are being upheld. These include impromptu visits as well as visits where there are indications that managers may not be effectively listening to their associates. All associates have confidential access to Walmart Ethics or to Walmart’s Open Door to share concerns related to any treatment or policy-related matters.
• Our associate relations team follows up on identified issues, including re-training associates and managers on their rights and obligations.

As of the end of 2023, certain populations of Walmart associates were represented by some form of third-party representation in 10 of the 19 countries in which Walmart operated, including Mexico, our second-largest market. As of the end of FY2024, our U.S. associates were not under any collective bargaining agreements.

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Opportunity Beyond Walmart

Since 2015, through business and philanthropic initiatives, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have collaborated with others to accelerate career mobility in retail and related sectors by facilitating a “skills-based” approach to hiring, development, and advancement.

Over the past five years (FY2020-FY2024), we have invested nearly $160 million in philanthropic grants in the following four areas:

• Adoption of skills-first practices: For example, we provided funding to Hire Heroes USA to help civilian employers recognize skills acquired through military service with the goal of easing transitions into the civilian workforce and enabling advancement.
• Higher-quality data regarding workers’ skills: For example, we supported the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures to create a framework on best practices for non-degree credential quality and recognition along with materials to help state legislators better understand the issues and engage fellow lawmakers.
• Making the business case for skills-first practices: For example, we supported the Aspen Institute UpSkill America initiative’s effort to perform market research and develop messages to employers on the benefits of digital learning records and other skills-based approaches.
• Data mobility to communicate skills between tech systems: For example, we invested in the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ SkillsFWD program, which aims to expand implementation of Learning and Employment Records (LERs) among individuals, employers, and training providers. 

Young people aged 16-24 represent an important part of the current and potential U.S. workforce (for example, 28.5% of Walmart’s U.S. workforce). Since 2022, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have been investing in efforts to create career pathways and workforce development opportunities for opportunity youth, meaning those aged 16-24 who are not in school and not employed. We work with organizations such as youth hiring programs that connect opportunity youth with major employers to help disrupt intergenerational cycles of poverty, create positive paths to begin adult life, and prepare them for long-term economic mobility.

Walmart also engages stakeholders across the public and private sectors to promote a skills-first philosophy. Representative efforts include:

• Walmart.org Retail Opportunity Network: The Walmart.org Retail Opportunity Network is a community of practice funded by Walmart that is made up of leading non-profit organizations focused on upskilling and learning and economic mobility for all people working in frontline roles across America.
• Opportunity Summit: In April 2024, Walmart convened business leaders, government officials, and workforce experts to discuss ways to promote skills-based systems, including developing improved tools for skill assessment, clarifying which skills matter for which jobs, and helping employees develop skills on the job. As a next step, participants are collaborating on developing a skills taxonomy for "gateway” jobs that translate across employers and industries.
• Business coalitions: Walmart engages with business coalitions like Jobs For The Future’s Impact Employer network to prioritize employee growth and well-being and the Business Roundtable’s Multiple Pathways Initiative to share best practices for equitable, skills-based hiring and advancement.

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• The economic and cultural environment favors traditional educational models over on-the-job education and skills development and there is an immature market for cost-effective, practical tools to rapidly build skills among adult learners.
• NGOs and academics sometimes disagree on the most effective strategies for frontline workforce development and the definition of a good job and a fair and compelling associate value proposition.
• Stakeholders also have differing views regarding the relative importance of base hourly wages versus other strategies to promote economic and career mobility such as benefits, upskilling, and mobility.
• Walmart is subject to local, national, and international economic trends and realities. There is strong competition among employers for skilled workers and labor surpluses and shortages can impact retail businesses.
• Walmart’s business is evolving rapidly. Customer trends towards omni-channel shopping, including pickup and delivery, change the skills necessary in Walmart's frontline workforce and may outpace incumbent associates' skills and readiness. Our training and upskilling strategies are intended to address this need but may not always keep pace. National and global catastrophic events, including pandemics, can exacerbate many of the above factors.

1. Data includes both hourly and management promotions and excludes Walmart Home Office promotions.

2. Promotions declined to 130,000 in FY2024 due to a realignment of roles and levels.

3. U.S. representation, age, and promotion metrics include all 50 states, including Puerto Rico. U.S. hourly metrics include all hourly associates, including temporary associates. U.S. management metrics include all salaried, exempt associates. U.S. officer metrics include president, executive vice president, senior vice president, and vice president positions. Data for the U.S. is as of the last pay period of the fiscal year ending on January 26, 2024. International and global metrics exclude associates in India and corporate associates based in other countries. Data for international markets is on a calendar year-end basis. Global data is the combination of International and U.S. data from these respective reporting periods. U.S. non-management metrics include all hourly associates, including temporary associates. People of Color is an aggregate composite of U.S. associates including African American/Black, Asian, Latino, Native American/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, and individuals of two or more races.

4. For additional metrics, please see our FY2024 Annual Belonging Report.

5. U.S. metrics include all 50 states and include Puerto Rico. U.S. management metrics include all salaried, exempt associates.

6. U.S. officer metrics include president, executive vice president, senior vice president, and vice president positions.

7. Data as of the date Walmart’s annual Proxy Statement was filed with the SEC for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Prior to 2021, Walmart disclosed the gender and racial/ethnic diversity of its Board members in two ways: (1) the percentage of all directors identifying as female; and (2) the cumulative percentage of all directors identifying as female and/or racially or ethnically diverse. Beginning with the FY 2021 Proxy Statement, Walmart disclosed the gender and racial/ethnic diversity of its Board separately.

8. Minimum age for employment at Walmart Inc. or one of its subsidiary companies in the United States is at least 16 years old.

9. For purposes of this metric, "hired" means Walmart made an offer of employment and the offer of employment was accepted.

10. The calculation excludes the following associate types: Home Office, pharmacists, on-site-clinics, drivers, management trainees, and temporary associates.

11. For full- and part-time associates when eligible.

12. The calculation excludes the following associate types: Home office associates, pharmacists, on-site-clinics, drivers, management trainees and, temporary associates. Average total compensation includes average hourly pay, other compensation, and benefits per hour for full- and part-time associates.

13. Walmart Inc. FY2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Human Capital Management,” pg. 12

14. In August 2020, we committed to increase reporting on workplace representation of Walmart Inc. to twice a year and expand the scope of metrics we disclose.

15. The calculation excludes the following associate types: Pharmacists, on-site-clinics, drivers, management trainees and, temporary associates. As noted in our FY2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, approximately 69% of our overall U.S. associate population (including salaried associates) is full-time.

16. Salaried and truck driver associates are eligible as of hire date. Full‑time hourly associates are eligible following 12 months of service. Part-time and temporary associates are not eligible.

17. Salaried associates who become parents are provided 12 weeks of paid time off to bond with a new child and the birth mother is provided up to ten weeks of paid maternity leave (which can be added to parental leave for a total of 22 weeks).

18. Wage metrics in the table exclude the following associate types: Home Office associates, pharmacists, optical/vision managers, on-site-clinics, drivers, management trainees, and temporary associates.

19. The average hourly starting rate is calculated as the average hourly wage of U.S. associates that joined in the preceding six months. Starting wage ranges were $14 to $37/hour (Walmart U.S.), $15 to $37/hour (Sam's Club U.S.), and $16.75 to $39.90/hour (supply chain). The minimum starting wage rate was increased to $14/hour in Walmart U.S. in February 2023.

20. Average total compensation includes average hourly pay, other compensation, and benefits per hour for full- and part-time associates (excluding Puerto Rico). This does not include special cash bonuses or paid leave related to COVID-19.

21. This segment includes the Walmart U.S. stores and supply chain.

22. This segment includes Sam’s Club clubs and supply chain.

23. Supply chain includes associates who work in distribution and fulfillment centers but excludes drivers.

24. Full- and part-time Walmart U.S. associates receive the discount card after 90 days of employment.

25. According to BLS, 70% of retail workers have access to employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans, whereas 100% of Walmart associates have access to such a plan through our 401(k).

26. These figures are based on the last pay period of November 2024.

27. Walmart, Inc., “Walmart Announced 3-for-1 Stock Split,” January 30, 2024, 

28. All U.S. associates meeting age requirements are eligible to participate.

29. Award types and grant values are dependent upon the recipient’s pay band structure or position pay range as stated in the plan documents.

30. See Figure 6.4, Kaiser Family Foundation 2023 Employer Health Benefits Survey.

31. This figure is as of April 2024.

32. Walmart Inc. FY2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Human Capital Management,” pg. 12.

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