Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Labour figures show weakening job market

Switzerland's labour market is slowing down, the Federal Statistics Office reported on Tuesday.

Figures for the first quarter of 2009 show the number of employed people and the number of jobs increased by 0.6 and 0.8 per cent, respectively. But the rate of growth is slower than in the same period last year and employment figures are the weakest in four years.

Manufacturing and other second-sector industries suffered the greatest slowdown, figures show. The number of jobs contracted 0.4 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2008 to about one million.

The number of people employed rose to 4.5 million people in Switzerland. The increase of 0.6 per cent over the first quarter of 2008 is a result of more women and foreigners entering the workforce.

Short-term statistics suggest the labour market will continue to worsen, the statistics office said.

swissinfo.ch with agencies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR