Big box retailers — and big-time employers — in the U.S. recently announced plans to increase their minimum wage. In Home Depot’s (HD) Q4 earnings results this week, the company announced an additional $1 billion investment in wage increases. This investment brings the starting wage in every U.S. market to at least $15 an hour. Meanwhile at the end of January, U.S. retailer Walmart (WMT) announced plans to increase its average hourly pay to more than $17.50, making the range now $14 to $19 per hour. In a statement to U.S. employees, Walmart U.S. CEO and president John Furner said the increase in pay was “to ensure we have attractive…