Hiring jumps as U.S. openings dip, Walmart workers still in demand

Hiring kept climbing even as U.S. job openings slipped, and that is the part Walmart workers should care about most. The Labor Department said March openings fell to 6.866 million, but hiring rose by 655,000 to 5.554 million, the highest level since February 2024. The openings-to-unemployed ratio sat at 0.95, a sign the labor market was less overheated than at the post-pandemic peak, but still active enough that employers had to compete for people.

Retail was part of that story. Job openings in retail trade rose to 737,000 in March from 685,000 in February, while hiring jumped to 684,000 from 611,000. In the broader trade, transportation and utilities sector, openings reached 1.175 million and hiring hit 1.165 million. For a Walmart associate thinking about a move, a rehire, or a second job, that is a useful signal: the market is not frozen. Stores, warehouses and other operations-heavy businesses are still taking people on, which can make it easier to chase more hours, switch stores or look for a better-fit shift.

The report was not all upside. Layoffs and discharges increased to 1.867 million, and total separations came in at 5.378 million. At the same time, the March employment report showed payrolls rose by 178,000 and unemployment held at 4.3 percent. Put together, the numbers point to a labor market that has cooled from the frenzy but is still producing openings, hires and churn. That makes this less a moment to assume stability and more a moment to know your options.

Walmart itself has leaned hard into internal mobility. The company says it employs about 2.1 million associates worldwide, including about 1.6 million in the United States. It says about 75 percent of its U.S. salaried store, club and supply-chain managers started as hourly associates, and that associates get their first promotion in nine months on average. Walmart also says it has invested $1 billion in skills training by 2026 and that Walmart Academy has trained more than 3.5 million associates. With Doug McMillon and U.S. chief John Furner steering a business that keeps talking up skills-first hiring and pipeline programs, the message is clear: the path from hourly work to leadership is still part of the model.

That matters now because Walmart said on April 16, 2026, that it planned more than 650 scheduled remodels and about 20 new store grand openings in 2026 and early 2027. More remodels and new stores usually mean more demand for store, pharmacy and supply-chain labor, not less. For associates deciding whether to apply, ask for more hours or stay put, this looks like a market where leverage exists, especially for workers with reliability and flexibility.