June 5 Reuters Walmart will pay bonuses to its U.S. hourly store workers, including those at its pharmacy and Vision Center stores, the retailer said on Wednesday, in a move that could boost wages for 700,000 frontline staff.

Both parttime and fulltime associates will be eligible for the annual bonus program, the idea for which came from feedback from store workers, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said on a call with reporters.

It39;s important that we are competitive on base wages, Furner said, ahead of the company39;s annual shareholder meeting later in the day.

A worker has to be with the company for a year to be eligible for the bonus, which is calculated based on stores achieving certain performance targets, he added.

Walmart employs about 1.7 million U.S. workers, a majority of whom staff its 5,000 stores.

Its minimum hourly wage starts from 14, less than the 15 starting wage at Amazon.com and Target.

Walmart has already raised the annual average salary and bonus for its U.S. store managers from Feb. 1.

The U.S. labor market has remained tight, with the Labor Department39;s latest report showing job growth slowed more than expected in April, while the increase in annual wages fell below 4 for the first time in nearly three years.

We are seeing a decrease in store worker turnover, Furner said.

Walmart also launched an 39;Associate to Technician39; certification program to help workers transition to higherpaying technician roles in areas such as…