Labour Minister Olaf Scholz on a short visit to the real,- Future Store

 At the beginning of the minster's two-hour visit in Tönisvorst Dr. Jürgen Pfister, Head of Corporate Human Resources of METRO AG, in a short address presented the HR concepts of METRO GROUP with a view to demographic change. In this context he particularly stressed the company's attempts to promote the employment of older employees within the company. "We are intentionally relying on the know-how and experience of older people", said Dr. Pfister. During the past twelve months alone, METRO GROUP hired around 2,500 people aged over 50 worldwide, of which 700 in Germany alone.

 In addition to a tour of the Real store in Tönisvorst the agenda for the visit by Olaf Scholz focused in particular on one-on-one discussions with representatives from the workforce and the employee council. The Labour Minister was especially interested in the job situation of older employees. "The HR concepts for specialised vocational training and professional development are very good. I find it especially important to offer the vocational trainees a perspective in the company after graduation." Olaf Scholz' short visit to the real,- Future Store was part of a series of visits by the Minister to German companies with employees past the age of 60. These company visits were organized in the framework of the Federal Government’s attempts to further improve the employment rate among the age group 50 plus and sustainably slow down the trend towards early retirement.