Aldi is raising its average starting wage in the US to as much as $19 an hour as it plans to hire more than 20,000 workers ahead of the holidays

• Aldi is increasing its average US starting wages for open store positions to $15 per hour.
• The retailer is bumping average US starting wages for open warehouse positions to $19 per hour.
• Aldi is also hiring more than 20,000 new store and warehouse employees ahead of the holiday season.

Aldi is raising wages to attract new workers ahead of its hiring spree for the holiday season.

The grocery retailer is bumping its average national starting wages to $15 per hour for open store roles and $19 per hour for open warehouse roles, according to a press release issued Monday.

"As an award-winning employer, we know the importance of investing in our people," Dave Rinaldo, co-president of Aldi US, said in the release. "Employees come to ALDI for the competitive pay and opportunity to work for a growing national brand. They stay for the career potential and satisfaction they feel knowing their work makes a difference in the communities they serve."

Aldi also announced in the release that it is hiring more than 20,000 new employees to "support its continued growth across the country and prepare for the busy holiday season." The new roles are available in both Aldi stores and warehouses. They include positions like store associate, cashier, stocker, and warehouse associate. The company has more than 2,100 stores and 25 warehouses across the US.

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To aid its holiday hiring efforts, Aldi is hosting a national hiring week from September 20-24, during which stores and warehouses will hold interviewing events to fill open positions.

The company's wage increases come shortly after grocery store workers reached a key pay milestone. Workers at grocery stores and restaurants now earn more than $15 per hour on average for the first time in history, according to the Washington Post. Aldi follows in the footsteps of companies like Walmart, Costco, and Chipotle, all of which raised wages earlier this year. The tight labor market has led many companies to reevaluate the pay and benefits they offer workers in an effort to attract new talent and keep current workers from walking off the job.