Walmart Cutting Back on Holiday Hiring

Retail giant Walmart announced today it won't be hiring as many workers for the holiday season this year.  The company plans to hire roughly 40,000 U.S. workers this year, compared to 150,000 last year.

Economic uncertainty was cited as the reason in hiring fewer people this  year.

Walmart officials say current employees will be offered additional shifts first, for those who would like to make extra money leading up to the holidays.

The 40,000 that will be hired will include seasonal and full-time positions, permanent truck drivers and customer care associates.

Walmart says the average wage for supply chain associates is $20.37 and hour, while its average U.S. hourly wage is $17 an hour.  Wages were increased to more than $20 an hour in June for more than 36,000 Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacy technicians.