Wal-Mart announced that it would be raising the salary of more than 100,000 of its U.S. employees in certain departments beginning in July. The retail giant will offer pay raises to managers of service-oriented departments such as electronics and auto care – from $10.30 - $20.09 an hour to $13 - $24.70 an hour, reported the Associated Press.
Managers of less-complicated departments such as clothing and consumer products will see their minimum hourly wage rise by a dollar. Employees in the specialized sections, such as the deli and wireless products section, will receive wages between $9.90 and $18.81 per hour from $9.20 - $18.53, according to Business Insider.
The minimum wage raise is a part of Wal-Mart's "billion-dollar commitment" to improve its compensation, hiring, training and scheduling programs in the U.S., said Wal-Mart spokesperson Kory Lundberg on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.
In February, Wal-Mart had revealed its plans to raise the entry-level wages for 500,000 U.S. employees in 2016. The pay raise along with enhanced staff training will cost the company $1 billion.
Wal-Mart's wage hike, along with those from other retailers such as Target and T.J. Maxx, have come amid widespread protests by retail employees demanding the establishment of a $15 an hour minimum wage in the U.S., according to The Guardian.
