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Jobless rate decreases as spring comes

The number of people reported unemployed dropped slightly last month, largely as a result of seasonal factors.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said 162,392 people – or 3.2 per cent of the workforce – were out of a job. The figure is down 0.2 per cent on February.

Serge Gaillard, head of Seco, said the latest figures were good news but he added that it was too early to say whether they were the beginning of a new trend.

Experts continue to forecast an average unemployment rate of 3.4 per cent for 2012 due to the strong Swiss franc and the weak economic situation in Europe.

The number of unemployed young people, aged between 15 and 24, dropped by nearly nine per cent compared with the previous month.

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