Walmart has announced initiatives to celebrate the company’s pharmacy technicians, including pay increases and hiring more technicians this year.
Walmart called pharmacy technicians “heroes” and announced that the company is raising wages for its more than 36,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacy technicians and plans to hire about 5,000 additional technicians this year.
“Our pharmacy technicians at Walmart and Sam’s Club have proven time and again how much they mean to the communities they serve. They took center stage during the pandemic as we tested millions of customers and members, and many did their best to help deliver vaccines across the country,” wrote Kevin Host, senior vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness, Pharmacy and Sean Jackson, senior vice president of Sam’s Club GMM, Health and Wellness/Consumables, in an article on Walmart.com.1
“These employees delivered genuine moments of care under extraordinary circumstances, and they did it with smiles on their faces and the calm, professional attention that instills confidence and keeps patients coming back,” Host and Jackson continued. “Put simply, our pharmacy technicians are heroes in their community. They also play a vital day-to-day role in the continued growth of our Health & Wellness business.”
For the second time in the past year, Walmart is making “significant investments in higher pay and career advancement for our pharmacy technicians, with the goal of creating additional growth opportunities and opportunities for them,” said Host and Jackson.
As of the week of June 13, Walmart and Sam’s Club will increase the average hourly wage of pharmacy assistants to more than $20 an hour, following a pay increase last August.
“It’s designed that way. We are sending a strong signal to pharmacy technicians everywhere that Walmart is serious about attracting top talent and giving them the tools to build successful careers,” said Host and Jackson.
The 2 retail chains will also give technicians more frequent, automatic pay increases, “as we introduce a new, progressive pay model designed to set us apart from the competition,” Host and Jackson said.
For example, new pharmacy technicians get raises that can add up to $4 to their base salary over the course of 4 years. In addition, technicians will receive a raise every 6 months during their first 2 years with the company.
“We think we’re one of the first major retailers to adopt this kind of model, an approach often seen in healthcare systems. This will help employees increase their pay faster as they build their careers and continue to work at Walmart,” said Host and Jackson.
Sam’s Club and Walmart also plan to hire an additional 5,000 techs this year, “to support our vision of providing the best healthcare,” Host and Jackson wrote. “Our business is growing and we will continue to invest in our entire Health & Wellness team to drive that growth.”
In addition to pay increases, the retailers will pay for eligible employees to become certified pharmacy technicians through benefits such as Live Better U and related programs.
“Walmart-certified technicians can earn $3 more per hour than their non-certified colleagues, meaning getting a certification can make a big difference to employees and their families,” Host and Jackson wrote. “To remove any roadblocks, Walmart will cover the cost of becoming certified as a pharmacy technician — from career degrees, on-the-job training and test preparation to paying the certification exam fee.”
Reference
1. Host, K., Jackson, S. Walmart launches a new approach to pharmacy technology wages with more frequent increases. walmart.com. Published June 16, 2022. Accessed June 17, 2022. https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2022/06/16/walmart-launches-new-approach-to-pharmacy-tech-wages-with-more- frequent increases