Mercadona shifts hiring to older workers as young applicants vanish

Mercadona shifts hiring policy toward older profiles

The Valencian supermarket chain has visibly changed the profile of its new hires. Testimonies gathered in stores across different cities point to the same phenomenon: checkouts and aisles are filling with workers aged 40, 50 and even 60, while twenty-somethings disappear from the radar. The corporate video the company released to show off its diverse workforce has actually exposed a strategy shift that responds to something more prosaic than inclusion.

The generational handover that never comes

Direct observation in four different stores over the past two months is revealing: only thirty-somethings are seen at checkouts and more mature profiles in the aisles. The most widespread reading is that young people no longer want that job. And it's not a matter of laziness, but of rational calculation. An unskilled job that demands almost militant dedication, with a corporate culture some describe as sectarian, is not attractive to those who have options. The question is what options an average graduate really has in 2026.

The market provides the answer. With active retirement recently regulated, the company has found a goldmine in older workers who need to top up their income or seek stable employment after closing their businesses. The profile of the former self-employed person who ran a greengrocer's and is used to working Monday to Sunday has become the ideal candidate: they don't complain, don't question, and appreciate the fixed salary.

The fine print of the salary nobody mentions

Here it's worth debunking myths. The claim that Mercadona pays €30,000 net is, at the very least, optimistic. Salary scales place the ceiling at around €26,000 gross with all supplements and seniority included. It's a decent salary for an unskilled job, which is why some defend it as one of the few jobs at this level that allow you to move out. But it's not the labour paradise the corporate video suggests.

The trade-off is the psychological cost. Employees must maintain a hyper-vigilant attitude, with imposed conversation scripts for interacting with customers. The scene is ridiculous to the perceptive observer: adults simulating a happiness they don't feel, under the watchful eye of a management that rewards obedience. The uncomfortable question is how long a 50-year-old profile will withstand this pressure, and what will happen when the company decides they are no longer useful.

The paradox of stable employment in a precarious market

The comparison with other sectors is devastating. While a supermarket employee can afford their own flat and leisure, professionals with technical degrees in consultancies struggle for years without stability or assets. The Spanish labour pyramid is inverted: unskilled work with a permanent contract offers more security than a technical career in the knowledge economy.

This distortion explains the phenomenon. Young people without family responsibilities see a job with a bleak future and reject it. Forty-somethings with mortgages, children and few alternatives accept it as a lesser evil. The company, which needs to fill positions with low turnover, has found the perfect profile: grateful, disciplined workers with no expectations of rapid promotion. The result is a workforce ageing at forced pace.

The future of retail and the age trap

Mercadona's drift is not an isolated case. Other chains such as Carrefour, Lidl and El Corte Inglés show similar trends. The difference is that Mercadona, with the highest average age in the sector, faces a dilemma: if its real policy is to get rid of fifty-somethings when they stop performing, as rumoured, the cycle will repeat with new hires.

Active retirement has peine the door to a generation of workers who cannot afford to stop working. And as long as housing remains inaccessible and wages don't keep up, mature labour will be the cushion of the Spanish job market. The question left hanging is whether this emergency solution will become the new normal or whether the system will eventually collapse under its own weight.