Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has over a million workers in the U.S. That figure is about to grow by 150,000 as the retail scrambles, like Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has, to handle a surge in demand for the products it sells, both in stores and online. Walmart has about 4,500 stores in America.

Management announced:

Walmart has a steady workforce of full-time and part-time workers helping meet the everyday needs of its customers. As part of responding to the current environment, Walmart is also hiring 150,000 new associates through the end of May to work in stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers.

Walmart said the jobs will not be permanent, but some could later. The hiring process will go from its normal two weeks, to under 24 hours.

Walmart also set up a special bonus structure for current workers:

 Walmart today announced plans to provide a special cash bonus for hourly associates for their hard work and dedication to serving customers in a time of an unprecedented national health crisis. The bonus is for all U.S. hourly associates in stores, clubs, supply chain and offices. The bonus will be $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly associates and will add up to more than $365 million. Every hourly associate employed by the company as of March 1 will qualify, and it will pay out on April 2.

The plan is not unlike that of the Trump administration to send $1,000 per person to most Americans.

Walmart is one of the few American companies which has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. It is, along with Amazon, at the crossroads of the needs of what people in the U.S. need, in part, to get through this.

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