NEW YORK  — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it expects to hire more than 50,000 temporary employees this holiday season and will be offering more hours to its existing workers.

The world’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., says that this year’s holiday hiring will be up slightly from last year, although it declined to give a precise figure for the increase. The discounter operates more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. and employs about 1.4 million people nationwide.

Wal-Mart’s announcement Friday follows one by Kohl’s earlier this week indicating its stores will be hiring more than 52,700 people, up more than 10 percent from last year.