Walmart to pay college, book costs for full and part-time employees

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Walmart Inc on Tuesday said it will pay the full cost of college tuition and books for its roughly 1.5 million full and part-time employees, effective Aug. 16.

The largest private U.S. employer said it will drop the current $1 a day fee paid by associates at Walmart and its subsidiary Sam’s Club.

Consumer demand is soaring as the U.S. economy reopens from the COVID-19 pandemic, deepening a national labor crunch. Employers are adding benefits and boosting wages as they struggle to find and keep enough workers, particularly in retail and restaurants.

Walmart has been criticized for years because thousands of its workers are below the poverty line, and it has also been rapped for paying less than rivals including Amazon.com, Kroger and Target.