Swiss Jura region hit hard by US tariffs

The Jura economy is being hit hard because a large proportion of its companies are active in the watchmaking, technology and machinery industries. Keystone-SDA

The economy of the Jura region in western Switzerland is suffering as a result of the tariffs imposed by the United States. Since the beginning of September, more than 100 companies, employing a total of 4,000 people, have applied for short-time work compensation. This affects around 10% of the canton's workforce.

These figures are quoted by Tamedia newspapers, which spoke to Jura Economics Minister Stéphane Theurillat. The minister warned of the risk of irreparable damage to the economy if rapid solutions are not found to the tariffs situation.

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When questioned by the Keystone-SDA news agency, the canton’s communication service confirmed that companies had requested short-time work for around 4,000 people. But not all of them are currently on short-time work.

The Jura economy is being hit hard because a large proportion of its companies are active in the watchmaking, technology and machinery industries, explain the Tamedia newspapers. These sectors were already under pressure before the increase in US tariffs, due in particular to the drop in Chinese demand, the weak economic situation of other customers, and the strength of the Swiss franc.

Towards further support?

According to Tamedia, Theurillat is seeking discussions with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to obtain more resources for unemployment insurance and the regional employment offices. The system in the canton is “on the verge of overload”, he said.

The cantonal government confirmed that it intends to contact SECO to see if additional support is possible for companies, beyond short-time work.

Earlier this month, SECO stressed that it had not yet seen any dramatic changes in the Swiss labour market as a result of the US tariffs. In August, short-time work had even fallen slightly. That month, most companies continued to justify their requests on the grounds of economic difficulties.

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Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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