Unemployment hits seven-month high

Nearly four per cent of the working population are out of work Keystone

Unemployment in Switzerland rose last month, with a further 4,500 people joining the ranks of the jobless.

The number of people out of work at the end of November stood at 152,049 – the highest level for seven months.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said on Wednesday that the unemployment rate now stood at 3.9 per cent – up from 3.7 per cent in October.

However, Seco emphasised that it was not all doom and gloom and that the situation was slowly improving.

According to Jean-Luc Nordmann, Seco’s deputy director, the November trend was “typical” and down to seasonal factors.

Higher rates of unemployment were to be found in certain sectors of the economy, such as catering and construction, as well as in cantons heavily dependent on tourism.

Nordmann predicted that the effects of the Swiss economy perking up would have a positive impact on jobless numbers in February 2005.

The number of people actively looking for a job also rose in November up to 222,102 – an increase of more than 6,500 on the previous month.

Nordmann noted that the number of 15- to 19-year-olds without a job was falling. But the jobless rate for 20- to 24-year-olds climbed to 6.4 per cent.

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

3.9% of the working population are jobless, the highest level in seven months.

The number of people out of work stood at 152,049 at the end of November.

According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the November trend was “typical”.