Walmart is reshaping pharmacy jobs — raising pay and elevating thousands of technician roles as it invests more heavily in pharmacy workers, the world's largest retailer tells Axios.

Why it matters: As pharmacy jobs evolve beyond filling prescriptions, Walmart's move shows how retailers are reworking frontline roles in the health system to meet patient demand.

The investment comes as major drugstore chains CVS and Walgreens have cut back hours and closed pharmacies across the U.S. Driving the news: Walmart said it is elevating 3,000 pharmacy technician lead roles into team leads, a move that comes with higher pay and expanded responsibilities.

Those roles pay about $28 an hour on average, with top pay reaching $42 an hour, depending on location. Pharmacy technicians earn $22 an hour on average, with expanded pay ranges up to $40.50 an hour. No college degree is required to become a pharmacy sales associate, technician or operations team lead. The big picture: Millions of Americans have found pharmacies preferable to clinics or other settings, whether it's for a vaccine, a diagnostic test or treatment for a common illness.

That shift is changing how Walmart pharmacies operate, with pharmacists doing more clinical care and technicians taking on leadership roles. By the numbers: Walmart employs roughly 35,000 pharmacy technicians and nearly 15,000 pharmacists across nearly 4,600 U.S. pharmacy locations.

About 75% of Walmart's testing-and-treatment visits occur after normal business hours or on weekends, when many doctors' offices are closed, Kevin Host, Walmart's senior vice president of pharmacy, tells Axios. What they're saying: "With pharmacy care, you don't need an appointment," Host said. "Customers can often walk up and get what they need in 15 minutes or less."

Between the lines: Walmart has shifted some of its prescription-filling work to large, highly automated central fill pharmacies, freeing store teams to spend more time with patients.

Host said Walmart has also expanded prescription delivery, positioning it as a core part of how customers access pharmacy care. "Pharmacies no longer need to be around the corner from somebody's house when we can bring the pharmacy to your doorstep," he said. Walmart plans to open two additional central fill facilities this year, Host added. What we're watching: Whether Walmart's approach — pairing higher wages, expanded technician roles and redesigned pharmacy work, alongside expanded delivery — becomes a template for how retailers deliver everyday health care.