(Bloomberg) — Publix Super Markets Inc., the operator of about 1,300 grocery stores in the southeastern U.S., will start offering paid parental leave in the new year.
Eligible full- and part-time employees will be able “to take time off with pay within the first year after the birth or adoption of a child,” the company said in an emailed statement. Publix didn’t specify how much time would be covered.
The supermarket chain is adding the benefit as retailers struggle to fill jobs and retain existing employees in a tight labor market. Walmart Inc., Target Corp. and Costco Wholesale Corp. have all been raising wages in an effort to shore up their workforces.
Read more: Starbucks follows Walmart’s new standard on paid leave
Publix has about 225,000 workers and is the largest employee-owned company in the U.S., according to its website. The company’s decision to offer paid parental leave was reported earlier by the Associated Press.
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