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Employers predict upswing in job market

Man looking at job adverts on a laptop
The new year should bring good news for job seekers, with many employers predicting an upswing in recruitment. Keystone

Swiss employers are expecting recruitment to gather pace in the first three months of 2018 - the most upbeat they have been for seven years, according to a survey.

The report by the Swiss recruitment agency Manpower, which consulted 759 employers, predicted the net outlook for recruitment in the first quarter of 2018 to be 3% – the most optimistic forecast since the first quarter of 2011.

“This upbeat forecast demonstrates that the economic recovery is expected to gradually have a knock-on effect on the Swiss labour market,” said Leif Agnéus, General Manager of Manpower Switzerland, in a statement on Tuesday.

“The strengthening of the global economy, the growth in the eurozone and the fall in the Swiss franc are undoubtedly influencing Swiss employers, who are back with renewed confidence – especially those in an export-oriented business.”

The key recruitment figure is predicted by comparing the number of employers expecting an increase in their employment rates within the first quarter, with those that expect a decrease.

Employers in the Zurich region are particularly optimistic (+7%). By contrast, companies in central Switzerland predict a loss of jobs (-4%). No changes in the job market are expected in the Lake Geneva region.  

According to Manpower, most new vacancies will be created by the financial, real estate and service sectors (+10%), followed by the manufacturing industry (+9%). Most jobs cuts will be seen in the construction industry (-4%), as well as in public and social services (-2%).

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