Employment in Switzerland continues to develop positively. More jobs were created again in the second quarter of 2023. In terms of prospects, the employment indicator made a small setback, but remains positive.
The number of jobs rose by 2.2 percent to a total of 5,432 million in the quarter under review compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. This is the ninth increase in a row, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS).
Legend: Skilled workers became easier in individual industries. Keystone/Archives/ALEXANDRA WEY
In the secondary sector (industry and construction) employment rose by 2.1 percent (+24,000 jobs) and in the tertiary sector (services) by 2.2 percent (+93,000 jobs).
Converted to full-time positions, the employment volume reached 4,235 million jobs (+2.2%). That’s 93,000 more than a year ago. Seasonally adjusted and compared to the previous quarter, the number of employees in the companies increased by 0.6 percent.
This means that the level of employment has increased by 0.4 percent in industry and construction and by 0.5 percent in the service sector within a quarter.
Differences by region
In a year-on-year comparison, all sectors showed an increase in the number of employees, although the differences were considerable. In the secondary sector, growth was positive in both «Construction» (+1.4%) and «Manufacturing» (+2.4%). The tertiary sector also developed positively across all sections, with «Hospitality» (+4.3%) registering the strongest and «Education (+2.2%) the weakest percentage growth.
There are also differences in relation to the major regions. While the increase in Ticino was weakest at 0.6 percent, the Zurich region recorded an increase of 3.4 percent. According to the FSO figures, employment in the secondary sector was strongest in the Greater Region of Northwestern Switzerland (+5.1%) and in the tertiary sector in the Greater Region of Central Switzerland (+4.2%).
Vacancies down
Meanwhile, there was a slight decline in vacancies. The number fell by 2.3 percent year-on-year to 124,700. While the number increased by 4.9 percent in the secondary sector, it decreased by 4.5 percent in the tertiary sector. Measured across all positions (filled plus vacancies), the rate was 2.2 percent in total, 2.8 percent in the secondary sector and 2.1 percent in the tertiary sector.
Despite the flattening of the economy, the employment prospects remain positive. According to the BFS, the proportion of companies planning to increase their workforce in the short term was 14 percent of total employment; the proportion of those who intend to reduce it is 2.8 percent. The other 18,000 companies surveyed wanted to keep their workforce or had not commented on it, writes the FSO.
The indicator of employment prospects calculated from this fell slightly compared to the previous year (-1.1%) to the level of 1.06. It is said that the greater Zurich region recorded the largest decrease in the indicator (-2.7%).
The FSO also reports a slight relaxation in staff recruitment. The difficulties in finding skilled workers have decreased slightly compared to the same quarter of the previous year, it is said, whereby companies in mechanical engineering are still severely affected by the problem, while the situation in the hospitality industry has clearly eased.