Target is expanding parental leave, including for hourly and part-time workers

Target announced that it will expand childcare benefits and family leave for 350,000 employees at its stores, warehouses, and headquarters office—regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time, salaried or hourly.

Starting June 30, Target’s new paid family leave policy will offer workers up to four weeks of paid time off to care for a newborn or a sick family member. Starting in autumn, workers at Target stores and distribution centers will receive 20 days of in-center childcare or in-home backup child care or elder care.

Historically, the availability of paid family leave has been skewed toward high-paid workers in white-collar jobs.

But amid a tight US labor market, and in an industry with unusually high turnover rates, retailers such as Target, Walmart, and Amazon have been competing with one another in pay and perks in order to attract and retain talent.

In April, Target announced it would increase its minimum hourly wage by $1 to $13 starting in June. That’s higher than Walmart’s $11 hourly minimum, but below Amazon’s and Costco’s minimum wage of $15. Target has said it expects to pay a minimum hourly wage of $15 by the end of 2020.

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