Wal-mart will hire 50,000 seasonal employees and will offer more hours to existing employees to accommodate shoppers during the upcoming holiday season, according to company officials.

“This is our busiest time of the year, and we are focused even more on providing excellent service to our shoppers throughout the holiday season,” said Gisel Ruiz, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Wal-mart U.S. “One way we do that is by ensuring our stores are adequately staffed by our associates.”

The Wal-mart news comes on the heels of last week’s similar announcements by Kohl’s Department Stores, which said it plans to hire more than 52,700 part-time employees nationwide this holiday season, up more than 10 percent from last year, and by Target Corp., which said it plans to hire 80,000 to 90,000 seasonal employees for that retailer’s stores and distribution centers across the U.S.

Wal-mart operates 19 stores in the Dayton, Springfield, and northern Cincinnati areas. Kohl’s and Target each operate 10 stores in the Dayton, northern Cincinnati and Springfield areas.

Internet market research firm eMarketer projects that online shoppers in the U.S. will spend $54.5 billion this holiday season, up 16.8 percent from last year, according to InternetRetailer.com. Wal-mart is trying to boost its growth through its website, offering free shipping with certain minimum purchases and waiving shipping fees for shoppers who pick up their items in a Wal-mart store, according to Reuters news service.

Some retailers have not yet announced their holiday hiring plans.