Swiss Labour Force Survey in 4th quarter 2018: 0.8percent increase in number of employed persons; unemployment rate based on ILO definition at 4.6percent

In Switzerland, a total of 5.086 million persons were gainfully employed in the 4th quarter of 2018, 0.8% more than in the 4th quarter of 2017. The number of employed men rose by 0.7%, and that of employed women by 1.0% , In full-time equivalents (FTE), the increase was 0.7% for both men and women compared to the corresponding prior-year quarter. Seasonally adjusted, both the number of employees and the number of FTEs fell slightly between the third and fourth quarters of 2018 (-0.1%).

Unemployed According to ILO, Q1 2013-Q4 2018

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Between the 4th quarter of 2017 and the 4th quarter of 2018, the number of foreign workers rose by 2.9%, while that of the Swiss workforce declined slightly by 0.1%. Among those who were gainfully employed abroad, the increase was highest for those who had a residence permit (B or L, at least 12 months in Switzerland) (+ 4.9%). This was followed by persons with a settlement permit (card C: + 3.3%). On the other hand, the number of gainfully employed persons with a short-term residence permit (identity card L, less than twelve months in Switzerland: -0.1%) and those of frontier workers (identity card G: -0.7%) fell.

Unemployment in Switzerland and in Europe

According to the International Labor Office (ILO), 227,000 persons were unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2018 in Switzerland. This is around 4,000 more than a year earlier. The share of the unemployed in the labor force was 4.6%, slightly higher than in the fourth quarter of 2017 (4.5%, +0.1 percentage points). Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate rose from 4.3% in the previous quarter to 4.9%. Between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2018, the unemployment rate decreased both in the European Union (EU28: from 7.3% to 6.6%) and in the euro-zone (EA19: from 8.7% to 8 , 0%).

Youth Unemployment

In Switzerland, according to the ILO, the youth unemployment rate (15 to 24-year-olds) increased from 6.9% to 7.3% between the 4th quarter of 2017 and the 4th quarter of 2018. In the same period, the youth unemployment rate fell both in the European Union (EU28: from 16.2% to 14.7%) and in the euro-zone (EA19: from 18.0% to 16.6%).

Unemployment according to different characteristics

The unemployment rate according to the ILO remained unchanged between the 4th quarter of 2017 and the 4th quarter of 2018 among the 25 to 49 year olds and the 50 to 64 year olds (4.6% and 3.9%, respectively). Among men, there was a decrease (from 4.3% to 4.1%) and an increase in women (from 4.9% to 5.1%). The level of unemployment remained stable among foreign nationals (7.5% in the 4th quarter of 2017 and in the 4th quarter of 2018) and that of the Swiss nationals (3.5%). In the fourth quarter of 2018, the ILO’s unemployment rate was 5.5% for EU28 / EFTA nationals and 12.3% for third-country nationals.

Duration of unemployment

Between the 4th quarter of 2017 and the 4th quarter of 2018, the number of long-term unemployed persons according to the ILO (one year or more unemployed) increased from 84,000 to 93,000. The proportion of long-term unemployed among all unemployed increased (from 37,6%) 41.0%). The median duration of unemployment increased from 212 to 249 days.

Part-time work and underemployment

The number of part-time workers in the fourth quarter of 2018 was 1.738 million (+26 000 compared to the 4th quarter of 2017). Among them were 357,000 underemployed, i. People who want to work more and are available at short notice. The underemployment rate was 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2018, lower than in the fourth quarter of 2017 (7.5%).

Unemployment Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate, Q4 2018

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