Washington, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is raising the pay of many U.S. retail employees effective this month, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

The hikes range from 2% to 10% depending on store location and role, and will go to sales staff, including Genius Bar technical staff and some senior hourly workers, the report said.

According to Reuters, the raises do not apply to all employees, the report added.

Apple is expanding its retail operations, betting that a combination of strategies developed before and during COVID-19 will make its stores more popular than ever.

Last year, it reportedly paid one-time bonuses of as much as $1,000 to store employees ahead of the busy holiday season.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The pay of its chief executive, Tim Cook, in 2021 was nearly $100 million thanks to stock awards, or about 1,447 times that of the average employee.

Source: Bahrain News Agency