Target is raising wages and adding 100,000 temporary workers

A record number of Americans have been quitting their jobs and businesses have been struggling to fill positions ahead of the holiday season. Meanwhile, at Target, there are neither of these problems. 

On Wednesday, Target said that the turnover rate for hourly workers this year was lower than in 2019 even after accounting for new hires. The retailer is also adding another 100,000 temporary workers to keep up with holiday demand and is offering its existing workforce 5 million additional hours of work during the busiest stretch of the year. 

John Mulligan, Target's chief operating officer said, "The way we achieve our staffing goals is [to] retain the team we have. He added that the average hours worked by a store employee is "running significantly higher this year in comparison to past years." In 2019, workers criticized Target for cutting their hours and for making it hard to pay for health insurance through the company and in some cases, pay their bills. Mulligan said that this year Target has been giving employees a much more flexible schedule and has been training them for different positions which have helped open up additional hours for those who want more work. Additionally, Target has also raised its starting wage to $15 an hour, offered spot bonuses to workers during the pandemic and expanded its training and benefits packages. 

Source: CNN