Unemployment continued its downward trend in July, falling to 3.6 per cent from 3.7 per cent a month earlier, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said.

The figures show that there were 142,330 people registered as unemployed, 2,143 fewer than at the end of June.

The number of those looking for employment was also down and stood at 205,604 or 3,666 fewer than the previous month.

The majority of jobless are registered in cantons Zurich, Vaud, Geneva, Bern and Aargau.

Seco said the number of jobless between the ages of 15 and 24 had risen by 1,368 or 6.5 per cent.

Credit Suisse analyst Fabian Heller commented that indicators pointed to an ongoing recovery on the labour market, though at a slower pace.

“We see an average unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent this year, which is much better than what we could have expected just a couple of months ago.”

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