Wal-Mart to Increase Wages for Most U.S. Store Workers

The across-the-board pay hike is aimed at addressing concerns raised by some longtime workers, who complained about the more-generous starting wages for new hires. The company is also trying to stem defections and the amount of money it spends to hire and train new staff. Wal-Mart loses hundreds of thousands of store workers each year, a Wal-Mart executive said last October.

Minimum-wage increases took effect in 20 states last year and several of the biggest employers of hourly workers, including McDonald's Corp. and Starbucks Corp., have also lifted their starting pay. Average hourly earnings for retail workers was $14.95 in December, up 3.6% from a year earlier. With the February changes, the average full-time Wal-Mart employee will earn $13.38 an hour, the company said.