Number of job-seekers continues downward

A visit to the job centre is now less common for most Swiss Keystone

The number of people looking for jobs is continuing its downward trend, according to survey figures released on Friday by the federal statistics office.

In its breakdown of the latests figures, the office says that at 2.7 per cent of the active population, the number of people looking for work is at its lowest level for nine years.

Graduates have benefitted most from the recovery in the jobs market, while those aged over 55 have seen no benefit.

The number of job-seekers is lower in German-speaking areas of the country (2.4 per cent) than in French-speaking regions (3.4 per cent) but the rate is falling more sharply in French-speaking areas.

Although people with a university education are least likely to be without a job, all social classes are reaping the rewards of the economic recovery.

Those trained to an apprentice level have seen their rate of unemployment decrease from 2.6 to 2.3 per cent in one year. For those without formal training, the level has declined from 5.3 to 4.8 per cent.

All age groups except those over 55 have seen their likelihood of being unemployed fall. For those over 55, the rate has increased slightly from 2.6 to 2.8 per cent.

By gender, women (3.1 per cent) remain more likely than men (2.3 per cent) not to have a job.

The number of long-term unemployed is also falling according to the survey. More than 29 per cent of jobless people said they had been out of work for more than one year, down from 39 per cent last September.

Switzerland’s official jobless rate is 1.8 per cent but this figure only recognises people officially registered as unemployed.

swissinfo with agencies