Walmart is expanding its Live Better U project, which pays for part-time and full-time employees' tuition and expenses, by adding more college degrees and certificate

Despite layoffs in the tech industry, Walmart recently announced it would increase hourly employee pay again.

This move highlights the continued tightness of the front-line labour market. The retail behemoth

which is the largest private employer in the United States

revealed on Tuesday that it is boosting the minimum wage for store employees to $14 per hour,

or a nearly 17% increase for those who stock shelves as well as provide customer service

The hourly wage for retail employees will range from $14 to $19 starting in early March

According to Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield, they currently make between $12 and $18 per hour

As per Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner, the retailer’s average hourly wage in the United States is anticipated to increase to around $17.50 as a result of the move

 The average hourly wage has increased to $17 now. Hatfield further stated that the modification will result in pay increases for some 340,000 store staff. For the 1.6 million workers at Walmart, that equates to a wage raise of about 21%.