The number of workplaces in Switzerland increased by 1.8% in the first quarter. In full-time equivalent terms, this represents an increase of 1.4% in the number of jobs.
Over the first three months of 2024, companies in Switzerland (excluding agriculture) had a total of 5.48 million jobs, an increase of 95,000 positions in one year, according to the employment barometer of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published on Friday. Full-time equivalents (FTEs) increased by 1.4%, which represents 60,700 FTEs.
The increases concern most sectors. The highest growth rates were observed in education (+3.4%) and in health and social action (+3.6%). The progression is also notable in business-related services (+2.1%), as well as in the hotel and catering industry (+1.9%). The construction sector, on the other hand, recorded a slight decline in employment (-0.4%).
Geographically, employment increased in all major regions of the country, with the exception of Ticino (-0.2%). This positive development is explained by the high growth rates in the tertiary sector of three large regions: Central Switzerland (+3.6%), Lake Geneva region (+2.4%) and North-West Switzerland (+2. 3%). In the secondary sector, only the large regions of Ticino (-1.3%) and Central Switzerland (-0.3%) announced a slightly lower number of jobs than the previous year.
Less optimistic outlook
At the same time, companies announced fewer vacancies. Their number fell by 9.7% to 114,300 over the first three months of the year. The decline affected the secondary sector more (-18.1%) than the tertiary sector (-6.9%).
Despite the strong growth in employment, businesses are less optimistic about the future. Out of 18,000 companies surveyed, only 12.9% plan to increase their workforce in the short term, compared to 15.2% a year earlier. The share of those who plan to downsize, on the other hand, increased in one year from 3.6% to 4.2%. The majority, namely 70%, opted for maintaining the workforce (compared to 67.8% in the same quarter of the previous year) and 12.9% did not answer the question (13.3% last year).
The search for qualified personnel proved a little less difficult in the first quarter. Recruitment difficulties decreased slightly by 1.5% to 39.4%. This relaxation is mainly explained by the decline in the secondary sector (-3.9% to 46.4%), the largest decrease having been recorded in the machinery branch (-8.8% to 67%). Public administration (tertiary sector) on the other hand reported an increase in difficulties in recruiting qualified professionals (+6.5% to 31.3%).
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats/awp
