Aldi to recruit 400 new staff and raise minimum pay
Aldi Ireland is to recruit 400 new staff and also raise its minimum pay rate to €11.50 an hour.
The German discount retailer said it plans to recruit and train more than 400 new staff during 2016 to support its ongoing Irish expansion drive.
Aldi will open its 121st and 122nd Irish store next month and plans to open a further seven more next year.
According to the latest Kantar Worldpanel figures, it now has a 9 percent share of the Irish grocery market.
Aldi Ireland has also become the latest big-name retailer to sign up to the living wage campaign, pledging to pay staff a minimum of €11.50 an hour from next February.
The living wage technical group puts the minimum hourly wage a person needs to meet normal living expenses at €11.50 an hour.
The rate is a third more than the statutory minimum wage, which is €8.65 an hour. The current minimum wage is set to rise to €9.15 from January as a result of the recent budget.
Aldi’s store assistants currently earn a minimum of €11 an hour, which is significantly more than most of its Irish competitors.