BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) is scaling back its policy for external hires to a minimum at six plants in Germany which produce for the passenger cars brand, commercial vehicles and components, a spokesperson said on Friday.
The move comes as part of a broader cost-cutting programme under development which is designed to help the carmaker's namesake brand meet a return-on-sales target of 6.5% by 2026.
The full range of measures were due to be set by October but will now likely take until the end of the year.
The company has limited external recruitment since the coronavirus pandemic and was raising the bar higher as part of the cost-cutting drive, a spokesperson for the works council said.
Under the new policy, communicated to staff on Friday, only strictly necessary roles for "future-proofing" the company or meeting legal requirements would be open for external hires, the company spokesperson said.