Aldi to create 360 new jobs and increase minimum pay

Aldi has announced the creation of 360 new jobs nationwide, and will become the first Irish supermarket to introduce the new Living Wage of €13.85 for all employees from February 1.

The new jobs announcement and the increase in the minimum wage by the German retailer comes in the wake of a major new year survey which found that the cost of living crisis is currently affecting affecting 77% of the population.

The survey was commissioned by Aldi among 1,000 respondents and sought to gauge the severity of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on Irish consumers, the trends and behaviour emerging with regard to personal finances and the actions people are taking to best manage challenges presented by the rising cost of living.

The survey found the cost-of-living crisis is making almost one in every three people (30%) ‘fearful or anxious’ about the future. It also showed that more than seven in ten people (72%) are conscious of the price of goods, and that almost half (47%) are seeking value for every cent they spend.

Apart from the creation of 360 new jobs nationally, and the introduction of the Living Wage for all employees from February 1, Aldi's other commitments for 2023 include additional discounts of over 40% on healthy eating and food staple items in January and February alone. This comes as 50% of all customers having cut back, or intending to do so, on spending on fruit and vegetables in an effort to manage their budgets, while 86% have, or plan to, reduced their spending on organic and environmentally friendly produce.

The switch to own label products is also something the Aldi survey found an increasing number of consumers focusing on, with 77% having already swapped brands for own label products and a similar number (73%) having switched to discount retailers to help cut their grocery costs.

Niall O’Connor, Group Managing Director, Aldi Ireland said:

“The research findings are stark, with more than three-quarters of people in Ireland having financial worries as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. It shows the extent of the impact this crisis is having on Irish consumers and the extreme measures they are taking to combat it.

“We continue to be very aware of this impact and even more committed to our customers in helping them weather this storm. We will continue to shield and protect them with low prices starting with even bigger discounts over the coming year.

“Our survey shows that more than three-quarters of all customers have already switched to private label goods as they look to manage their household budgets. We will continue to deliver unbeatable value in 2023, and our high-quality product range, means our customers will never have to choose between price, quality and healthy eating.

“We know that half of people surveyed are cutting back on fruit and vegetables, and 86% on organic or environmentally friendly produce. We don’t believe customers should ever have to choose between price, health and quality. With that in mind, for example, in January, we delivered discounts of over 40% on produce in our Aldi Savers programme, with fruit, vegetables, bread, cereals and lean meats making up a significant portion of goods on offer. We will continue that in February with over 40% discount.”