CVS Health

Hiring and Retaining Top Talent in Traditional & Big-Box Retail: A Persistent Challenge

Fortune 500 leaders in traditional and big-box retail — from Walmart and CVS to Nordstrom and Dollar Tree — face some of the toughest talent challenges across all industries. The numbers paint a stark picture: 91% of these companies have poor or below-average short-term retention, 95% struggle with long-term retention, 100% score poorly on industry recognition, 95% lag in skills and educational attainment, and 95% have below-average or poor promotion rates compared to other Fortune 500 companies.

These challenges are driven by structural realities of the retail sector. High turnover in hourly store positions, seasonal labor fluctuations, physically demanding work, and intense competition from e-commerce, logistics, and gig-economy jobs make retaining frontline employees difficult. Career advancement opportunities are often limited, and burnout from high-volume, high-pressure environments further exacerbates attrition. Even when promotion programs and leadership academies exist, many employees leave before reaching mid-level management, leaving retailers with a thin pipeline of experienced, promotable talent.

For traditional and big-box retailers, hiring and retention is more than a human resources concern — it’s a strategic imperative. Companies that succeed in building strong, skilled, and engaged teams are those that invest in structured career development, cross-training, internal mobility, and innovative retention strategies, despite the sector-wide challenges that make attracting and keeping top talent an uphill battle.

CVS Health: Leading Talent Strategy in Retail

Among Fortune 500 traditional and big-box retailers, CVS Health stands out as the leader in quality of hire — a combined measure of short- and long-term retention, industry recognition, skills and education attainment, and promotion rates. CVS Health ranked 8th in short-term retention, 3rd in long-term retention, 3rd in industry recognition, 1st in education, skills, and certifications attainment, and 1st in promotion rate.

CVS Health’s success stems from its strategic investment in employee development and retention programs.

• The company emphasizes structured career pathways, continuous skills training, and certification programs to help employees grow within the organization.
• Employees benefit from tuition assistance programs to further their education, as well as access to no-cost MinuteClinic® wellness services including flu shots, weight management, and smoking cessation programs, supporting their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• CVS Health also prioritizes recognition and internal mobility, ensuring high-performing employees see a clear trajectory for advancement.

By combining these comprehensive development and wellness initiatives with innovative retention strategies, CVS Health has established itself as best-in-class in quality of hire, showing that even in a challenging retail environment, investing in people delivers measurable results.