- Lowe's is hiring hundreds of tech workers as it leans into e-commerce and AI.
- For example, a software developer can make a base salary of nearly $234,000, per filings.
- Work visa data shows how much the company pays for roles in software development and data science.
The US housing market might be all but deadlocked, but that doesn't mean home improvement retailer Lowe's is standing still.
As it navigates this stretch of increasingly pent-up demand, Lowe's has been pushing retail's tech boundaries with new apps and devices.
Earlier this year, the company expanded its AI-powered Mylow companion app to help employees and customers find the supplies and estimate the quantities needed for a specific project.
Lowe's EVP of stores Joe McFarland said during an earnings call in August that the app was helping employees "build competence early" and "expand knowledge across departments."
To power innovations like this one, Lowe's is hiring hundreds of tech workers from the US and overseas.
Company filings with the US Department of Labor show Home Depot sought to hire 258 workers through the US H-1B visa program in the first three quarters of this reporting year, largely in software development and data science. That number is up from around 200 during the same period the year before and down from about 300 two years ago.
By comparison, rival Home Depot sought to hire 292 workers from the H-1B program during the same period this year.
Employers are required to disclose this publicly available work visa data for foreign hires. It doesn't include equity or other benefits that employees may receive beyond base pay. Reported pay rates are also benchmarked against industry averages for US workers in similar roles.
Lowe's did not respond to a request for comment.
Lowe's employs about 270,000 full- and part-time workers. It listed roughly 3,700 open jobs on its careers website as of August 27, with about 180 openings for corporate and tech roles.
In the H-1B data, most of the positions are based near Lowe's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Here's a deeper look at some of the jobs:
IT project managers can make over $182,000
Product Manager: $103,210 to $118,450
Senior Product Manager: $103,210 to $158,019
Lead Product Manager: $128,461 to $182,500
Data scientists can earn nearly $210,000
Data Scientist: $118,414 to $130,491
Senior Data Scientist: $130,021 to $158,981
Lead Data Scientist: $130,021 to $190,962
Senior Manager, Data Science: $153,005 to $209,842
Software engineers can earn as much as $234,000
Software Engineer: $103,780 to $139,109
Senior Software Engineer: $112,986 to $163,321
Lead Software Engineer: $134,347 to $221,731
Principal Software Engineer: $155,688 to $234,000
Senior directors can make up to $300,000
Senior Director, Technology: $136,989 to $266,500
Senior Director, Product Management: $128,461 to $277,173
Senior Director, AI Strategy: $128,461 to $300,000
