(Reuters) – Laboratory Corp of America Holdings said on Thursday it has increased the minimum hourly wage for U.S.-based employees to $15, joining several other companies in implementing new measures to retain staff amid a nationwide labor shortage.
Other U.S. companies such as Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, CVS Health Corp and Walmart also raised the minimum hourly wages for employees in recent weeks.
With the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and a nationwide labor shortage due to the pandemic, U.S. companies are forced to implement payment hikes to lure new employees and retain old ones.
The diagnostic tests maker said the new minimum wage for non-union employees is effective this month.
The company, which has more than 70,000 employees, last month said the spread of the Delta variant led to an uptick in demand for its COVID-19 tests in July.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)
