WAL Mart expects to add 22,000 jobs

The world's biggest retailer wal mart is planning to add 22,000 jobs.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday that it expects to hire more than 22,000 people to staff its new or expanded domestic stores this year.

"During this difficult economic time, we're proud to be able to create quality jobs for thousands of Americans this year," Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart U.S., said in a statement.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, had previously announced it would open 142 to 157 stores new or expanded stores in 2009, which is fewer than the total number of its new or expanded stores in 2008. The company did not specify how many stores it opened last year.

Wal-Mart added 33,000 jobs in the United States last year, according to the annual report released in April.