Walmart to ditch degree requirement for hundreds of positions

No degree, no problem!

That is what Walmart is telling candidates interested in many of its corporate positions.

The retailer plans to rewrite hundreds of job descriptions for corporate job titles, it said in a post on its website.

Applicants can have either a college degree or show they have the necessary skills through prior experience.

“While degrees should be part of the equation and in some cases even required, there are many roles where a degree is simply unnecessary, including at corporate headquarters,” Lorraine Stomski, Walmart’s senior vice president of associate learning and leadership, and Julie Gehrki, vice president of philanthropy, wrote in the blog post.

The move is part of a larger effort for the big-box chain to invest in growth opportunities, it said.

The Arkansas-based company is also working on granting employees college credits for on-the-job training.

The company is focused on “eliminating unnecessary barriers for associates to advance in their careers” and noted that 75% of its managers, who earn approximately $113,000 a year, started in hourly roles, which don’t require degrees.

The workforce must recognize skills the same way it does degrees, the post said, and give those without degrees the same benefits as those with them.

Many major employers including Dell, IBM and Bank of America have eliminated college degree requirement for most jobs, in part to attract new talent amid labor shortages.

During the summer, Walmart changed its wage structures to pay new workers less, which it said would increase the ability to move workers between departments, according to reports.

It also reduced pharmacists’ hours to reduce costs.