After increasing by 1.9 % in the third quarter, Swiss GDP grew by 0.3 %. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the health policy measures had much less impact on the economy than in the first waves of the pandemic. As a result, there has been no real new economic collapse. The only significant fall in value added has been in the hospitality sector (- 2.9 %).
In 2014, the Swiss population adopted a popular initiative ‘Against Mass Immigration’, supporting a change in Switzerland’s immigration policy.
On 16 December 2016, the Parliament approved the amendment to the Foreign Nationals Act concerning implementation of Article 121a of the Federal Constitution. The aim of this amendment is, in particular, to make better use of the domestic labour market potential. In practical terms, employers are required to report job vacancies to the public employment centres first, to promote the employment of registered domestic jobseekers.
The requirement to report job vacancies, initially restricted to the occupational categories with a national unemployment rate of 8 % or higher, has been in force since 1 July 2018. On 1 January 2020 the threshold rate was reduced to 5 %.
Regarding residence permits, nationals of all EU/EFTA States have been subject to the same conditions since 1 January 2022.
In Switzerland, 5.179 million people were in employment in the fourth quarter of 2021, 1.1 % more than in the same period of 2020. Part-time work is more common than in most Member States of the European Union (2016: 35.6 %). At 41.07 hours, weekly working hours are more than one hour above the EU average.
In terms of distribution by sector, 76.9 % of workers are employed in the service sector, 19.8 % in industry and crafts and about 3.3 % in the primary sector (data from 2015).
Like many other countries, Switzerland has also experienced considerable population growth. In 1970, it had 6.1 million inhabitants, but in 2016 the resident population had risen to 8 544 527, of whom 25 % were foreign nationals (data from 2018).
The foreign population plays a significant role in the Swiss labour market. Around two thirds of that population originate from EU countries. The countries with the highest number of citizens living in Switzerland are Italy, Germany, Portugal, France and Kosovo, in addition to foreign nationals with permanent residence. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the number of cross-border commuters totalled 361 000, the majority of whom came from neighbouring countries.
The high rate of nationals from EU and EFTA countries in the labour force is partly explained by the fact that migration primarily involves highly qualified professionals who are in high demand from Swiss companies.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in the fourth quarter of 2021 there were 220 000 unemployed persons in Switzerland, which is approximately 26 000 fewer than the previous year. These unemployed persons made up 4.4 % of the active population, which is a lower proportion than that observed in the fourth quarter of 2020 (4.9 %).
Sources: UFS/SECO/SEM
Links:
Title/name | URL |
EURES Switzerland | |
SECO – State Secretariat for Economic Affairs | |
Association of staff leasing companies in Switzerland | |
Recognition of qualifications > Training > Recognition of foreign diplomas | |
State Secretariat for Migration | |
Federal Social Insurance Office | |
Directory of private employment agencies | |
Government agencies | |
Public job search site | |
Swiss employers’ association | |
Swiss Federal Statistical Office | |
Swissworld | |
The Swiss authorities online | |
Swiss Workers’ Federation |
According to employment statistics, total employment (number of jobs) in Switzerland increased by 1.9 % in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. This marked a new employment record of 5.239 million jobs and an increase of 0.5 % compared to the previous quarter.
Employment rose in the secondary sector (industry and construction) and in the tertiary sector (services), by 0.9 % (+9 500 jobs) and 2.2 % (+87 900 jobs) respectively. In the tertiary sector, the part-time employment share was 47.2 %, while in the secondary sector only 16.6 % of employed persons worked at a level of under 90 %.
Total employment, calculated net of seasonal variations, showed an increase over the previous quarter (+0.5 %). In the secondary and tertiary sectors, the increase in employment, net of seasonal variations, was 0.3 % and 0.7 % respectively. The total number of employees in full-time equivalents amounted to 4.065 million jobs (+1.6 % year on year). Employment in full-time equivalents increased by +8 600 units (+0.9 %) in the secondary sector and +57 300 (+1.9 %) in the tertiary sector.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, the overall employment rate showed a positive trend in all seven of the major regions: year on year, employment increased by between 0.6 % (North-Western Switzerland) and 3.0 % (Central Switzerland). All the regions also recorded an increase in employment in the secondary sector. The tertiary sector in turn showed employment growth in all the regions, particularly in the Lake Geneva region (+2.6 %), Zurich (+2.9 %) and Central Switzerland (+3.1 %).
Sources: UFS
According to employment statistics, total employment (number of jobs) in Switzerland increased by 1.9 % in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. This marked a new employment record of 5.239 million jobs and an increase of 0.5 % compared to the previous quarter.
Employment rose in the secondary sector (industry and construction) and in the tertiary sector (services), by 0.9 % (+9 500 jobs) and 2.2 % (+87 900 jobs) respectively. In the tertiary sector, the part-time employment share was 47.2 %, while in the secondary sector only 16.6 % of employed persons worked at a level of under 90 %.
Total employment, calculated net of seasonal variations, showed an increase over the previous quarter (+0.5 %). In the secondary and tertiary sectors, the increase in employment, net of seasonal variations, was 0.3 % and 0.7 % respectively. The total number of employees in full-time equivalents amounted to 4.065 million jobs (+1.6 % year on year). Employment in full-time equivalents increased by +8 600 units (+0.9 %) in the secondary sector and +57 300 (+1.9 %) in the tertiary sector.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, the overall employment rate showed a positive trend in all seven of the major regions: year on year, employment increased by between 0.6 % (North-Western Switzerland) and 3.0 % (Central Switzerland). All the regions also recorded an increase in employment in the secondary sector. The tertiary sector in turn showed employment growth in all the regions, particularly in the Lake Geneva region (+2.6 %), Zurich (+2.9 %) and Central Switzerland (+3.1 %).
Difficulties in recruiting qualified staff were again much greater than in the same quarter of the previous year (36.3 %, +8.2 percentage points).
Sources: UFS
Espace Mittelland includes the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Jura and Solothurn and had approximately 1.89 million inhabitants as at 2017. Bern, Biel, Thun, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Fribourg and Neuchâtel are the largest towns in this region, which includes both German-speaking and French-speaking municipalities. The cantons of Neuchâtel and Jura border France. More than a quarter of Switzerland’s French-speaking population live in Espace Mittelland, which, as highlighted by its bilingual name, plays a key role in connecting German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
Espace Mittelland is characterised by a highly diversified economic structure, which generates great employment stability.
The canton of Bern plays a major role within Espace Mittelland.
The services sector, which is strongly influenced by the presence of the Federal Administration, the headquarters of the Swiss Federal Railways (FFS), the Post Office, Swisscom, and the public health service and educational institutions, accounts for more than a quarter of the tertiary sector. Transport, communication and tourism also have an above-average presence here. The canton of Bern is followed by the three cantons of Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Solothurn, which represent an equally significant portion of Espace Mittelland. In these three cantons, the traditional service sectors are under-represented. The canton of Jura makes a minor contribution to the total services output of Espace Mittelland.
As concerns the secondary sector, the regions of Bern Jura and Bern Biel and the canton of Jura are the home of the watchmaking industry, and are known as ‘Watch Valley’. Brands such as Omega, Rolex, Longines and Swatch are world-famous. The main industries in the canton of Fribourg are the food industry, the capital goods industry and the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. In the canton of Solothurn, technology and the paper industry are major players, while other important sectors include medical technology, logistics and distribution, microelectronics, telecommunications, watches, turned parts for the watch and clock industry and services. In the canton of Neuchâtel, the pharmaceuticals industry continues to grow, especially thanks to subsidiaries of companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Bugnon Pharma, which generate high turnovers. The precision and watchmaking industry and their suppliers (precision engineering and turned parts) continue to play an important role in the region. Indeed, 28 % of employees are to be found in the watchmaking industry alone.
Top three sectors experiencing labour shortages:
- engineers,
- IT,
- professions in the human medicine and pharmaceutical sector.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Top three sectors with surplus labour supply:
- construction professions,
- administrative staff,
- staff in the cleaning, catering and domestic economy sector.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
The predominantly French-speaking Lake Geneva region encompasses the metropolitan region of Lake Geneva, consisting of the cantons of Genève, Vaud and Valais. In 2015, it had 1 537 million inhabitants. Some 37 % of residents in the Lake Geneva region are foreign nationals. This makes this region the one with the highest proportion of foreign nationals in the whole of Switzerland. In recent years, the number of cross-border commuters has risen significantly. In the fourth quarter of 2020, there were 141 903 cross-border commuters. The largest towns in the region are Geneva, Lausanne and Sion.
The economy of the cantons of Genève, Vaud and Valais is predominantly service-based. Around 80 % of jobs are to be found in the tertiary sector. For the past several years, the canton of Vaud has been an area of exceptional economic dynamism. This is shown by the high growth in population, rate of employment and the creation of wealth. One of its key strengths is the structure of its economy, with its numerous multinational companies which are highly specialised in high-tech industries, commodities trading and business services.
The largest tertiary sectors include healthcare and social services, business services, the retail trade, the financial sector, education, the wholesale trade, tourism and public administration. Geneva is an important financial centre which is home to numerous private banks but also to high-tech companies and research institutes such as CERN. Furthermore, Geneva is the home of many international organisations and NGOs. A number of manufacturers of luxury watches are based in the Jura Vaudois – mainly in the Vallée de Joux (Audemars Piguet, Bréguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre). This is also the location of ‘Watch Valley’, which stretches from Geneva to Basel. In and around Lausanne there are major globally active food and tobacco companies as well as the headquarters of international sports federations. Of particular importance for the canton of Vaud is the EPFL, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne). The Valais canton is known for its tourism, the electricity sector and wine-growing.
Source: UFS
Top three sectors experiencing labour shortages:
- technical sector (engineers),
- professions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors,
- technical draughtsmen.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- professions in the cleaning and catering industry,
- personal care professions,
- administrative staff.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Over the past few years, Central Switzerland has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regions in Switzerland. It consists of the cantons of Luzern, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Zug, which, together, had 790 458 inhabitants in 2015.
Its central position in Switzerland is very important for this region, which is why well over half of all employees in the region work in the services sector. This geographical advantage makes the region a very suitable base for distribution and logistics centres. In addition, owing to the low tax rate, many wholesale and retail companies operating internationally have established their operations there. Companies working in the fields of sports articles and marketing are worthy of note, as are the schools in the region. In the cantons of Schwyz and Zug, a hub of specialist financial services companies has formed in recent years, offering employment to highly qualified employees. Tourism also plays an important role. The town of Lucerne is a brand with an international reputation. Tourism, and to some extent agriculture, have traditionally featured prominently too in parts of Schwyz, Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden.
In this region, the weight of the industrial sector is markedly greater than the national average. A long-standing major sector of the economy is the capital goods industry, especially the production of machine tools, metal and metal products, rubber and plastics processing, vehicle manufacturing and primary and ancillary construction work. The same applies for the food industry and wood processing. Moreover, a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Central Switzerland follow a successful niche production strategy. This is the case in particular in the cantons of Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zug, for example in the medical technology, micro-technology, optics and electronics sectors. In the past few years, highly innovative high-tech companies have been set up in the southern parts of Central Switzerland.
Top three professions experiencing labour shortages:
- engineers,
- professions in the technical sector,
- fiduciary/trust professions.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- professions in the cleaning and catering industry,
- administrative staff,
- personal care professions.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
The region of North-Western Switzerland consists of the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Aargau. The largest city in North-Western Switzerland is Basel. The region has a resident population of 1 128 723 (2015). In the fourth quarter of 2021, more than 73 617 cross-border commuters worked in this region.
The mainstays of the economy in the Basel region are the life sciences sectors; the so-called ‘Bio-Valley’ network is known worldwide today. The chemical-pharmaceutical industry is growing at a fast pace and is therefore increasingly becoming the leading growth driver of the Swiss national economy. Both Basel cantons host the registered offices of major multinational companies, around which a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gravitate; these also make an important contribution to strengthening the region’s economy. Around 25 % of workers in the canton of Basel-Stadt are employed in the national chemical-pharmaceutical industry. The international logistics sector, in which the operations of around 200 shipping companies provide a boost to international trade from Switzerland’s ‘gateway to the world’, enabling around 15 % of all Swiss goods intended for foreign markets to be exported, is also of great importance. Furthermore, around 40 % of oil imports are handled here. Basel is the headquarters of the BIS, the Bank for International Settlements. All major financial service providers and insurance companies are also represented in the region.
In addition to the services sector, the strongly industrialised canton of Aargau is dominated by economic activities such as mechanical engineering, metalworking, electrical engineering, the chemicals and food industry, construction, and by the presence of hydraulic and nuclear power plants. Around 40 % of workers are employed in the industrial sector. The region’s economic hub is located in the Baden-Brugg area.
Top three professions experiencing labour shortages:
- engineers,
- professions in technical sectors,
- IT.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- professions in the cleaning and catering industry,
- commercial professions and administrative staff,
- personal care professions.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Eastern Switzerland is the largest of the country’s seven regions, covering almost 12 000 km2. It comes third in terms of population, with 1 153 485 inhabitants as at 2015. It includes the cantons of Glarus, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen, Graubünden and Thurgau. The largest towns are St. Gallen, Schaffhausen and Chur. More than 30 351 cross-border commuters work in the region (2021).
The economic structure of the individual cantons of Eastern Switzerland is dominated by industry. Alongside the public sector, the other key sectors include the capital goods industry and secondary production in general, which makes up a greater share of the economy compared with the Swiss average. Within the capital goods industry, the top positions are held by mechanical engineering and metalworking in terms of value, followed by ‘precision engineering and optics’ and ‘electricity generating equipment and telecommunications’. Vehicle manufacturing follows close behind. Other industrial sectors with significant value include the food industry, publishing and printing, and wood processing. Unlike other Swiss regions, which specialise in financial services, the financial services sector is under-represented in Eastern Switzerland.
Sources: UFS
Top three professions experiencing labour shortages:
- professions in healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry,
- professions in technical sectors,
- IT.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- cleaners,
- commercial professions and administrative staff,
- professions in the textile sector.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Italian-speaking Ticino, which lies to the south of the Alps, is the southernmost of Switzerland’s regions. Ticino, with 353 709 inhabitants as at 2017, is the region with the smallest population. Foreign nationals account for 27.9 % of the population in the canton. In the fourth quarter of 2021, there were 74 775 cross-border commuters. Wages are among the lowest in Switzerland.
As in most Swiss regions, the public sector, the wholesale and retail trade and the financial sector are among the most important economic activities in Ticino. Hotels and restaurants, real estate services, construction, transport and the retail trade have above-average presence here compared with Switzerland as a whole. All these sectors benefit significantly from tourism, either directly or indirectly.
In the industrial sector, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and the textile and clothing industries feature prominently.
In the region of Ticino, various research centres have been set up, such as the Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing of Southern Switzerland and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre.
Source: UFS
Top three professions experiencing labour shortages:
- professions in technical sectors,
- technical draughtsmen,
- fiduciary/trust professions.
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- professions in the cleaning and catering industry,
- commercial professions and administrative staff,
- personal care professions.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.
Zurich is the third-largest Swiss region and is regarded as the country’s economic powerhouse. With about 1 466 424 residents (as at 2015) of 176 different nationalities, its population is exceeded only by that of the Lake Geneva region and of Espace Mittelland. The region ranks first in terms of economic importance. The canton of Zurich is characterised by the great diversity of its industries. In addition to the strong financial sector, other industries have been gaining ground for years.
The economic area of Zurich boasts a long tradition in the development and production of medical technology. In addition, over the past few decades, it has become a leading location for the life science economy and skills. Most of the 57 000 companies registered are small and medium-sized enterprises, and account for almost two thirds of the active population. As a business centre, Zurich holds a leading position internationally. As a driving force of the Swiss economy, Zurich generates almost one fifth of the national income, wealth and jobs.
Zurich is world-famous not only as a financial centre but also as a city of ambitious projects and innovative ideas. The structure of the canton of Zurich’s economy is essentially service-based. Business services and the banking and insurance industries play a dominant role, exceeding the national average. Around one fifth of employment in the canton is to be found in these sectors; in the city of Zurich, the proportion rises to 30 %.
With regard to business services, employment is mainly concentrated in accountancy, tax consultancy, trusts, business consultancy, architects’ and engineering practices, as well as the media. Other sectors with above-average presence include healthcare, wholesale trade (in particular, data processing equipment and machines for industry), commerce and shipping, as well as education, especially due to the presence of top-ranking universities (ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich).
Top three professions experiencing labour shortages:
- engineers,
- IT,
- fiduciary/trust professions.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco
Top three professions with surplus labour supply:
- personal care professions.
- professions in the transport sector,
- professions in the hospitality sector.
Source: Indice de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre en Suisse 2021, Adecco.