New York (Parliament Politics Magazine) – US companies, including Walmart and Lowe’s, are investing in training programs to fill skilled trades positions amid growing workforce gaps.
As reported by Anne D’Innocenzio of AP News, Walmart plans to expand its workforce to maintain equipment, refrigeration, and facilities amid a decline in skilled workers in the US.
How are US companies tackling the skilled trades workforce gap?
Last year, Walmart, the country’s largest retailer and private employer, overhauled its training program to increase the number of skilled maintenance technicians. These roles, ranging from equipment repair to electrical work and facility maintenance, are becoming harder to fill amid a declining workforce.
According to experts, key factors behind workforce shortages include rising retirements and a slowdown in immigration, which began during the pandemic and has intensified under President Donald Trump’s tougher deportation policies.
Consulting firm McKinsey analyzed 12 trade job categories, including welders, carpenters, and maintenance technicians, and projected about 20 job openings for every new hire between 2022 and 2032.
McKinsey noted that the sector’s “extraordinary rate of churn” could cost companies more than $5.3 billion annually in talent acquisition and training expenses alone.
Labor gaps are emerging as some companies lay off staff due to rising operational costs driven by new tariffs, shifting consumer demand, and increased spending on artificial intelligence.
In June, Business Roundtable, a lobbying group of around 150 CEOs, launched a new initiative to address workforce shortages in skilled trades. The effort, co-led by home improvement retailer Lowe’s, involves working with elementary, middle, and high schools to raise awareness about these careers.
Marvin Ellison, chairman and CEO of Lowe’s, said,
“While technology continues to evolve, it cannot replace plumbers, electricians, construction workers, maintenance and repair pros, or other tradespeople.”
In 2022, Lowe’s launched a three-month online training program for employees to develop skills in carpentry and utility maintenance. The company’s charitable foundation has invested $43 million across 60 organizations in 2023 to support the recruitment and training of skilled trades workers.
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, said one factor contributing to shortages is a “lack of awareness” among potential workers.
He added,
“I think most Americans probably don’t know what a tech makes that helps take care of our stores and clubs and that we can help them learn how to be a tech. So we have a need to get the word out so that people know there are some great jobs.”
In spring 2024, Walmart revamped its training program by launching a tuition-free initiative in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This year, the company expanded with new sites in Vincennes, Indiana, and Jacksonville, Florida, offering hands-on training and classroom instruction in HVAC, electrical work, and general maintenance.
According to R.J. Zanes, vice president of facility services for Walmart and Sam’s Club in the US, the company has attracted workers from across the country, including those previously employed as cashiers.
He noted that maintenance technicians play a vital role in keeping Walmart’s operations running smoothly, especially during the holiday season, adding that a refrigeration failure could lead to losses of up to $400,000 in inventory.
Mr Zanes added,
“We’ve got to stay out in front of that. We have to ensure that we’ve got the right skills there to do preventative maintenance, and when we do have a breakdown, to make sure that we get it back up as fast as possible to minimize that cost of downtime.”
Mervin Jebaraj from the University of Arkansas’s Walton College of Business said these initiatives could help ease skilled labor shortages, but they will not fully close the gap, given the tightened immigration under President Trump.
He continued,
“For as long as somebody physically needs to fix this, the shortage will persist, even though on the margins it’ll mitigate some of the shortage. We don’t have enough people.”
How many workers have graduated from Walmart’s training program?
Walmart reported that around 400 employees had completed the training program by mid-November.
All 108 graduates of Walmart’s training program secured technician roles, earning around $32 per hour, with the company aiming to train 4,000 employees by 2030.
How many workers are employed in Walmart stores?
Walmart employed nearly 2.1 million people (termed “associates”) globally as of its fiscal year 2025. Approximately 1.6 million of those associates work in the United States, making Walmart the largest private employer in the nation.
The majority (92%) of US associates are paid hourly. A significant portion (39%) is under the age of 30, and the average US hourly wage for field associates was $18.25 as of 2025.