New York, April 18: Amid the rise in unemployment filings in the US, retail giant Walmart is recruiting around 50,000 new employees as the country is grappling to control its rising number of cases.

According to a report in CNN Business, Walmart is hiring new workers, after the company met its target of hiring 1,50,000 much ahead of its schedule.

On Friday, the company said the new recruits comprising temporary or part-timers will offer the company the need to fill up positions in key areas where it’s most required, including stores, fulfillment and distribution centers.

There is a growing demand for household goods and groceries with most of the country placed under shelter-in-place restrictions because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As one of the largest retailers, the company has remained open to fulfil these needs of the customers.

It is the company’s second round of hiring after the grocer employed workers around a month ago. The company has recruited furloughed workers from around 70 companies from restaurant and hospitality industries, which are most hit by the Covid-19 crises.

"We are humbled and proud to be able to give an opportunity to so many workers during this critical time," said Donna Morris, Walmart's chief people officer.

According to the latest report by the US labor department, more than 22 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last four weeks as theCovid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the economy.

The department said another 5.24 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, making a total of 22.2 million since 14 March as a result of the lockdown imposed due to rising number of cases in the country.

So far, the US has seen as many as 34,575 deaths with the total number of cases at 683,000. Italy recorded 22,745 deaths and Spain reported 19,613 deaths. France and the UK also reported over 10,000 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (CSSE).