Walmart will hire more than 3,000 US drivers

Organizations across the world are searching for staff that explored new pastures during the pandemic.

Walmart now has an extra challenge, as the retailer has announced plans to hire over 3,000 new staff in the US to support a fleet of all-electric delivery vans as part of its growing InHome grocery delivery service.

These staff will help Walmart reach 30 million homes by the end of the year. At the moment, the InHome delivery program has 100 delivery drivers and reaches 6 million homes.

Speaking about the expansion, Tom Ward, senior vice president for Last Mile at Walmart US, commented: “We’ve been operating InHome in select markets over the last two years and have found it is a perfect solution for customers who want to live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery.”

He expanded: “Identifying ways to help our customers save time and money is our purpose, and nothing showcases that better than InHome delivery, which is why we’re excited to bring the convenience of InHome to even more customers in 2022.”

The service is forward-thinking in a number of ways.

Firstly, drivers use a one-time access code to unlock the customers’ doors through an app that pairs with a ‘smart’ entry lock. There is also the fact that the vehicles don’t use gas.

However, from a business perspective, this investment could help bolster Walmart’s profits during uncertain times.

Walmart’s investment

The pandemic revealed the value of e-commerce and deliveries. This is best illustrated by Amazon’s value skyrocketing (alongside Jeff Bezos literally) as the pandemic led to a rise in online purchases.

Making groceries and goods available through forward-thinking technology could help Walmart to generate more profit even during future disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Of course, Walmart will need to attract candidates to facilitate this plan.

Fortunately, the company has already reassessed its wages and benefits; for instance, it has offered to pay the tuition of its employees. Naturally, more changes to the incentives behind these new jobs can be adapted as feedback is given.

Julie Murphy, executive vice president and chief people officer at Walmart US, was excited about the technology and potential of the program in a blog post: “This new role is yet another example of how technology is enabling us to offer new career opportunities that just didn’t exist a few years ago.

“Expanding our number of InHome associates is a testament to the trust and confidence we have in them and their continuous commitment to delight our customers. There’s a path for everyone to build a career here at Walmart, and this position is further proof of that.”