WalMart, the national retail chain operating out of Bentonville, Ark., has raised entry-level manager salaries from $45,000 a year to $48,500 in advance of the new white collar overtime rule taking effect Dec. 1.

The new rule raises the salary threshold for overtime exemption from $23,660 a year to $47,476, giving WalMart a cushion of more than a thousand dollars.

To be exempt from overtime, an employee must not only meet a salary test (mentioned above) but also a duties test for managerial or other functions.

The company salary announcement follows recent news that it planned to lay off some 7,000 workers.