U.S. retailer Target Corp. announced on Monday that it will adopt a minimum wage system that would increase starting pay for some employees by as much as $9 an hour, with the highest pay going to hires in the most competitive markets. Target, which has roughly 1,900 stores and 350,000 employees in the United States, currently pays a universal starting wage of $15 an hour. It said in 2017 that its hourly minimum wage will be raised to $15 by 2020, becoming one of the first retailers to do so. The Minneapolis-based discount retailer said in a Feb. 28 statement that up to $300 million will be invested in its labor force in the year ahead. The investment will include a new minimum wage that ranges from $15 to $24 and an expansion to health care coverage for team members. “Our team is at the heart of our strategy and success, …