Target to set starting wage as high as $24 an hour

Target is trying to fill open positions, and the company is raising the starting wage to court new workers.

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The company said it will offer minimum wages of between $15 and $24 an hour with the highest pay offered in competitive markets, The Associated Press reported.

Right now, Target has set $15 an hour as a universal minimum pay rate.

It said it will be spending an additional $300 million on labor this year, including better access to health care for hourly workers.

Target was among the first retailers to pay a $15 minimum wage in 2017, with many of its competitors matching the pay rate amid a shortage of services workers after the coronavirus pandemic, the AP reported.

Retailers have said they have had issues filling open roles. Of 100 major retailers that have between $500 million and more than $20 billion in revenue, 96% said they’re having a hard time hiring workers. 88% said they are having a difficult time filling positions at distribution centers.

The average hourly pay for retail workers, not counting managers, was $19.24 in January, the AP reported.

Target has about 1,900 stores and 350,000 employees in the U.S.

Visit Target’s careers site to see current job openings.

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