Many Walmart hourly workers will collect bigger paychecks on the US east and west coast markets where the cost of living is higher and competition for labor among retailers is more intense, the company told Reuters on Tuesday. Walmart also said it has seen a slight increase in job applications for digital and stocking roles, mostly internally. "[This] tells us that we're becoming more competitive for this type of work," Drew Holler, Walmart's head of people operations, said. Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, said last month that it plans to raise average pay for US hourly workers to at least $15.25 an hour, focusing on digital fulfillment and stocking workers who will receive a starting wage of between $13 and $19 an hour from March 13. This comes as the company, which is also America's biggest private employer, looks to retain labor to support its fast-growing online business.