Walmart achieves hiring goal of 150,000 to meet growing demand amid coronavirus

Walmart Inc. said on Friday it had reached its goal of hiring 150,000 people to keep up with growing demand for groceries, sewing machines, beard trimmers and other items during the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, it intends to hire 50,000 additional employees.

The retailer received more than 1 million applications and has averaged 5,000 hires per day, Walmart’s chief people officer Donna Morris said on the company’s website.

Around 85 percent have been hired for temporary or part-time roles, but some will become permanent, Morris added.

In mid-March, Walmart announced plans to grow its workforce. To accelerate hiring, the company shortened its hiring process from two weeks to 24 hours and allowed candidates to apply with a text message.

The company has worked with more than 70 companies to find workers displaced by furloughs in hard-hit industries, such as restaurants and hotels.