Walmart has announced plans to recruit 250,000 US ex-military personnel by the end of 2020.

The retail giant announced yesterday it is expanding its 2013 projection of hiring 100,000 veterans by 2018 as the next step in its ‘Veterans Welcome Home Commitment’ programme.

The programme guarantees a job offer to any eligible US veteran honourably discharged from active duty since the programme’s launch on Memorial Day two years ago. 

Memorial Day is the last Monday in May and is a federal holiday in the US for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

Since Memorial Day 2013, Walmart has hired more than 92,000 veterans, while nearly 8,000 have already been promoted to jobs with higher pay and greater responsibility.