| 16.05.2019 – The number of persons in employment in Switzerland increased by 0.8% between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. In the same period, according to the International Labor Office (ILO), the unemployment rate fell from 5.2% to 4.9%. In the European Union (EU), the unemployment rate fell from 7.4% to 6.8%. This is clear from the Swiss Labor Force Survey (SLFS).
In Switzerland, a total of 5.047 million persons were gainfully employed in the first quarter of 2019, 0.8% more than in the first quarter of 2018. The number of employed men rose by 0.9%, and that of employed women by 0.7% , In full-time equivalents (FTE), the increase was 0.6% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. For men, the number of FTEs increased (+ 1.6%) and among women (-1.0%). Seasonally adjusted, both the number of employed persons and the number of FTEs increased slightly compared to the previous quarter (+ 0.2%). |
Unemployed According to ILO, Q1 2014-Q1 2019 |
Swiss and foreign workers
Between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, the number of Swiss employees rose by 0.1% to 3.462 million, while that of foreign workers rose by 2.4% to 1.585 million. Among the foreign workers, the increase was highest for those with a residence permit (B or L, for at least 12 months in Switzerland: + 3.1%). This was followed by persons with a settlement permit (card C: + 2.8%). The number of cross-border workers (ID card G) remained stable at 315,000, while the number of persons working in temporary employment with a short-term residence permit (ID card L, less than 12 months in Switzerland) declined (-1.9%).
Unemployment in Switzerland and in Europe
In the first quarter of 2019, 243,000 persons were unemployed in Switzerland according to the definition of the International Labor Office (ILO). That’s about 13,000 fewer than a year ago. The share of the unemployed in the labor force was 4.9%, lower than in the first quarter of 2018 (5.2%, -0.3 percentage points). Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate fell slightly compared to the previous quarter from 4.8% to 4.7%. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, it decreased both in the European Union (EU28: from 7.4% to 6.8%) and in the eurozone (EA19: from 8.9% to 8.1%).
youth unemployment
In Switzerland, according to the ILO, the youth unemployment rate (15- to 24-year-olds) fell from 8.8% to 7.2% between the 1st quarter of 2018 and the 1st quarter of 2019. In the European Union (EU28: from 15.9% to 14.8%) and in the euro-zone (EA19: from 17.9% to 16.4%), the youth unemployment rate fell during this period.
Unemployment according to different characteristics
According to the ILO, the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2019 decreased slightly (from 5.1% to 4.9%) for the 25- to 49-year-olds compared with the same quarter of the previous year, while it increased among the 50-64-year-olds (from 4 , 4% to 4.6%). Among men, there was a decrease (from 5.1% to 4.5%) and in women the rate remained unchanged (5.4%). In the same period, unemployment among the Swiss fell slightly (from 3.8% to 3.6%). Amongst the foreign workers, it even fell sharply (from 9.3% to 8.6%), especially among non-EU nationals (-1.7 percentage points). In the first quarter of 2019, the ILO’s unemployment rate was 6.6% for EU28 / EFTA nationals and 13.6% for third-country nationals.
Duration of unemployment
Between the 1st quarter of 2018 and the 1st quarter of 2019, the number of long-term unemployed persons according to the ILO (unemployed for one year or more) fell from 99,000 to 91,000. The proportion of long-term unemployed persons among all unemployed also declined (from 38.8% to 37.7%). The median duration of unemployment fell from 230 to 202 days.
Part-time work and underemployment
The number of part-time workers in the first quarter of 2019 was 1.750 million, 2.8% more than in the same quarter of the previous year. Among women, their share of employment increased by 4.0% and among men it decreased by 0.5%. Among the part-time workers there were 344 000 underemployed persons, i. People who want to work more and are available at short notice. The underemployment rate was 7.0% in the first quarter of 2019, which was lower than in the first quarter of 2018 (7.4%). For women it reached 11.0%, for men 3.5%. |
Unemployment Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate, Q1 2019 - Click to enlarge |
