A Wrights Group memo sent to the company’s staff has been published in the national media, revealing a blanket recruitment freeze.
The manufacturer told staff it was suspending all recruitment in order to reduce costs.
The memo reads: “As previously communicated, Wrights Group is facing a number of challenges in both the local and overseas markets and will be required, over the coming weeks, to implement changes to organisational structure in order to drive increased efficiencies and reduce operating costs throughout the company.
“As a result, we will be suspending all recruitment with immediate effect. This applies to all vacancies which are currently open and no employment offers should be made unless there is an exceptional business need and specific approval.
“We feel this is necessary in the current economic climate and to ensure that the company remains competitive going forward.”
A spokesperson from Wrightbus told CBW that the company did not wish to comment on the news.
Economist John Simpson told the Belfast Telegraph: “In order to maintain itself at its present size, it has to be announcing very large orders two or three times a year. The company has been reasonably successful.
“The recruitment freeze could be a careful piece of work to make sure they don’t have a cash-flow problem.
“Wrights Group employs large numbers of EU workers, and someone may be taking a cautious view – ‘should we be careful about taking on people from Slovakia or somewhere else,’ based on the Brexit negotiations.”
“The phrase ‘freeze on recruitment’ is not the same as redundancy. As terms of a first warning, it’s mild in nature.”
Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI, said: “I wouldn’t be too alarmed. Wrightbus is a great company and it has a great product.
“Like most businesses in the environment we are currently in, and with what’s coming down the line in terms of added costs – such as the apprenticeship levy and the National Living Wage – everyone is being mindful of keeping costs under control in order to protect them from any future shock in the economy.”
