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Walmart’s technology division, Walmart Labs, is following the same steps as Home Depot as both big-box companies are searching for technology workers to add to their ranks, CNBC and Silicon Valley-based The Mercury News report.
The Mercury News says Walmart Labs is launching a “major” hiring initiative for technologists around San Francisco. According to the article, Walmart Labs plans to hire 150 technology workers to bolster “its efforts to deliver new digital solutions to its customers and to meld advanced technologies with its existing brick-and-mortar operations.”
Jeremy King, chief technology officer at Walmart Labs, says the company is especially interested in San Francisco technology workers because the area “has some of the biggest tech companies, some of the best minds, and some of the most awesome technologists in the world.”
Walmart Labs was specifically recruiting software engineers, back-end technology experts, data scientists, product managers, mobile developers and others to its Sunnyvale and San Bruno research and development locations. The hiring push coincides with a companywide effort to advance the retailer’s digital capabilities.
“In stores, online, through mobile devices, voice, pickup options and delivery services, Walmart Labs is really here to power our entire customer journey,” says Blair Bennett, vice president of Walmart Talent Acquisition.
Meanwhile, Home Depot is launching its “biggest tech hiring spree ever,” as it plans to hire more than 1,000 new tech workers this year, CNBC reports.
The new hiring effort is part of the company’s $11 billion investment plan to “extend its lead in brick-and-mortar retail over competitors,” the article says.
Home Depot currently employs approximately 2,800 tech workers. The company seeks to fill software engineering, user experience, network engineering and product management roles with this latest initiative.
The big-box home improvement retailer plans to capitalize on tech hires to “improve Home Depot’s online shopping experience, expand its warehouse footprint to speed up deliveries, and make improvements to its stores to help customers find items quicker and check out faster,” the article says.
