Wal-Mart Just Came Closer To Fixing Its Empty Shelves Problem

REUTERS/ Jim YoungWal-Mart is working to reverse the problem of empty shelves in stores by hiring thousands of people.

The retailer is hiring 55,000 workers for the holiday season, reports Renee Dudley at Bloomberg. It also plans to promote 35,000 part-time workers to full-time and 35,000 temporary workers to part-time.

Dudley reported earlier this year that Wal-Mart's workforce has fallen by 120,000 people since 2008. In the same time frame, the company added several hundred locations.

The decrease in headcount led Wal-Mart customers to complain of empty shelves at some of the retailer's locations.

Wal-Mart's operations are hurt by "the lack of labor in the stores to get the inventory out of the back rooms and onto the sales floor," Dudley reported, citing a Cleveland Research Co. note.

The retailer's new fleet of workers will help keep merchandise current and stocked, according to Bloomberg.

Wal-Mart is the largest U.S. employer, with a workforce of 1.3 million.