The announcement marks tomorrow's ‘UK Older People's Day', which celebrates older employees in the workforce.
According to Tesco, one in five of its staff is over 50 - an increase of 154% compared with 10 years ago. Although some of this is explained by existing staff entering their 50s, 20% of employees are currently on Tesco's internal development programme, Options, which targets the over-50s.
The 50-55 age group make up 6.6% of Tesco's workforce. Commenting on the statistics, Linda Avis, personnel manager for UK resourcing, said: "We are delighted to see that the percentage of older people has risen steadily. Our over-50s workforce not only comprises employees who have worked their way through the ranks but, increasingly, many have decided to join Tesco later in life. Many of these new recruits have decided they would like a new challenge and have chosen to follow a new and exciting career path at the age of 50 or over."
Tesco's eldest employee is 80-year-old Francis Wilkin, who works in Sidcup in Kent.
One in five Tesco workers are over 50
Tesco, the UKs number one food retailer, now employs nearly 55,000 workers over the age of 50.
