Swiss unemployment lower than it’s been in years

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The Swiss economy appears to be on a roll. Pictured here: a worker at the Lantal Textiles rug factory in Melchnau (© Marcel Bieri) - Click to enlarge

The Swiss unemployment rate was 2.7% in April – a level last seen in July 2012.

Last month, 119,781 people were registered as without work in Switzerland – 10,632 fewer than the previous month. This brought the overall unemployment rate down from 2.9% in March to 2.7% in April, reported the State Secretariat for Economic Affairsexternal link on Tuesday.

Unemployment has also fallen significantly compared to last year – more than economists had expected. Compared with April 2017, 26,546 more people have jobs this year. The Swiss unemployment rate fell from 3.3% in 2016 to 3.2% in 2017.

Over the past year there has been a 26.5% drop in the number of unemployed aged 15-24 (4,300 fewer), and an 11.9% drop in the number of people over 50 looking for work (4,649 fewer).

+ How do you go about finding a job in Switzerland?

Still, about 194,000 people are formally registered as looking for work. Yet there are only about 14,000 jobs listed with regional employment centres.

Starting on July 1, 2018 and in effect until 2020, Swiss residents registered at the unemployment office will get first dibs at jobs once unemployment in a given sector reaches an 8% threshold.

About Swissinfo

SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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