NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores pledged on Tuesday to offer jobs to all veterans who have been honorably discharged, part of a three-pronged employment effort the Bentonville, Ark.-based company described at a conference here.
Bill Simon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S., said the veteran hiring program will launch on Memorial Day this year and is projected to add 100,000 vets to the company’s 1.3 million-member workforce. Veterans are eligible within their first 12 months after leaving active duty.
“Sadly, too many of those who fought for us abroad now find themselves fighting for jobs at home,” said Simon, himself a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
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A second initiative Simon unveiled was a plan to better communicate job opportunities at Walmart U.S., so that workers can learn how to move up in the ranks at the company. Walmart promotes about 170,000 people every year to jobs with higher pay and increased responsibility, he said.
“Ultimately, we want every associate to find the career opportunities they want with Walmart,” he said.
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The third prong of the effort involves buying more product domestically to promote manufacturing jobs, Simon said. The company pledged to spend $50 billion more on U.S. made goods in the next 10 years, both from existing suppliers and by identifying new suppliers in high-potential industries such as textiles, furniture and pet supplies.
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