EXCLUSIVE: How Walmart Is Connecting Shoppers With Jobs
A loaf of bread. Some laundry detergent. A new job?
Shoppers at Walmart stores in certain parts of the country can knock items off their grocery list and potentially gain employment opportunities, thanks to a new pilot program between Walmart Inc. and Milwaukee, Wis.-based staffing solutions company Manpower.
Manpower recently opened two job “hubs” in Walmart stores, in Sturtevant, Wis., and High Point, N.C., and plans to unveil four more within the coming weeks at locations in Texas, Minnesota and North Carolina. Set up near the front end of the store, these branch offices of Manpower provide people with direct access to employment opportunities in the local markets and leverage Manpower’s hiring and skilling programs.
"We aim to provide products and services in our stores that enhance the shopping experience and contribute to a better quality of life for our customers," said Tené Green, a senior director at Walmart. "One of the pathways to a quality life is through employment."
Progressive Grocer recently spoke with Rajesh Namboothiry, SVP at Manpower about the synergy between Manpower and Walmart customers. “This will help Walmart, it will help job seekers and it will help Manpower. At the end of the day, I want to go back to our strategy, which continues to be providing avenues for job seekers and meaningful, sustainable employment opportunities in communities,” he said.
Namboothiry came up with the idea about a year ago, and the collaboration with the leading retailer came together quickly. “We’ve been on this path to expand our real estate footprint in North America and this is part of that strategy, as we figure out a way to be closer to our talent,” he explained. “When we thought about retail partnerships and that’s where Walmart came to mind. We talked to them, and they were excited about the idea.”
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For customers, he added, the job hubs are a fast and easy way to explore their work options. “It’s for them to have the convenience of shopping and walking up to a career kiosk for a career conversation,” Namboothiry said. “And from Walmart’s perspective, they have traffic coming in, so it elevates their brand too. It’s one more thing you can get at a Walmart store.”
Job opportunities vary by market, of course, so potential employees can pursue a variety of paths. Although it is early for analytics following the mid-September opening, early anecdotal results reveal that Walmart customers across a wide range of demographics are stopping and talking to Manpower’s representatives in stores.
