Walmart takes a cautious approach to holiday hiring

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is taking a cautious approach to the holiday shopping season, announcing it will hire 40,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, a majority of them seasonal workers. Walmart said Wednesday it is now focusing on hiring seasonal workers only, rather than permanent workers. Just like in past years, it will first offer current workers the opportunity to pick up additional shifts if they want to earn extra money for the holidays. Companies that typically hire thousands of seasonal workers are again heading into the holidays during one of the tightest job markets in decades, making it again challenging to find the workers they need.