There are various ways to measure unemployment. Switzerland’s standard measure looks at the number of people registered with unemployment offices across the country. By this measure Switzerland’s unemployment recently reached a 10 year low of 2.6%. Today, another unemployment measure was published. It shows a 0.1% increase in unemployment over the fourth quarter of 2018 to 4.6% […]
Swiss unemployment continues to fall
The number of registered unemployed in Switzerland dropped by 9% in May 2018 to a rate of 2.4%, down from 2.7% in April, according to a report by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The rate in May 2018 was 22% lower than in May 2017. Switzerland’s unemployment hasn’t been this low since 2008. […]
Unemployment benefits for reduced hours no longer justified by strong Swiss franc
In January 2015, when the Swiss National Bank stopped its attempt to keep the Swiss franc to Euro exchange rate at 1.20, the Swiss currency quickly rose beyond parity. To soften the economic shock, Switzerland’s government allowed working hours to be extended with no extra pay and working hours and pay to be cut. Employees […]
Swiss unemployment at lowest in 3.5 years
Swiss unemployment is at its lowest for 3.5 years, according to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The last time Swiss unemployment reached March 2018’s level was in October 2014. After reaching a peak of 3.7% in January 2017, the rate had fallen to 2.9% by March 2018. Unemployment has some seasonality however […]
Swiss stocks suffer amid global sell off as financial heavyweights are punished.
12 February 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI is expected to underperform global markets again this week after stocks lost further ground on rapidly declining global investor sentiment. Equity markets around the world tumbled as Japan, Europe and emerging Asia suffered heavy losses with global banking stocks […]
How Switzerland leads Europe on youth employment
In the second quarter of 2015 Swiss youth unemployment (based on the ILO definition) dropped from 7.7% (Q2 2014) to 6.4%. The measure includes those between the ages of 15 and 24 years old and while higher than Switzerland’s overall unemployment rate, Swiss youth fare much better than elsewhere in Europe. The overall EU rate […]
Swiss market flat, jobless rate stable
11 September 2015 Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss market flat The Swiss Market Index (SMI) is expected to end the week flat after another volatile trading session. The economic slowdown in China remains central to the recent sell off although optimism that the Chinese government will act to stabilise its financial markets did […]
Geneva’s unemployment now higher than the US
The unemployment rate in Geneva for March 2015 was 5.6%. In the United States (US) the March 2015 rate was 5.5%, 0.1% lower than in Geneva. US employment has enjoyed a remarkable turn around. Five years ago US unemployment was 9.7%. Five years ago in Geneva it was 7.3%, so the US has moved further […]
Why Geneva’s unemployment is higher than Zurich’s
Most think Switzerland has low unemployment, however, aggregate figures mask large regional differences. Underneath the overall national rate of 3.5% (February 2015), lie cantonal rates that range from 1.1% in Obwalden to 5.8% in Neuchatel. Zurich, currently at 3.6% typically hovers around the national average, while Geneva, currently at 5.6% is consistently 2% higher than […]
Swiss unemployment linked to language and passport
The overall rate of Swiss unemployment climbed from 3.4% to 3.5% in January 2015 although it was steady when compared to the same time last year. There are however marked differences in rates of unemployment on a number of dimensions. The rate varies significantly by Canton. Neuchatel and Valais tied for the top spot at […]
