Walmart Dangles 17% Bump in Starting Wage in Tight Labor Market

Walmart Inc., the largest private-sector employer in the US, is raising its starting wage 17% after a surge in inflation last year and heightened competition for workers.

The lowest initial wage will jump to $14 an hour from $12 next month, Walmart said in an email Tuesday. The hourly average will rise to $17.50, up 2.9% from the summer level and 6.7% morethan in September 2021. US consumer prices climbed 6.5% in December from a year earlier.

The increase will “ensure we have attractive pay in the markets we operate,” John Furner, the head of Walmart’s US ...