Swiss Labour Force Survey in 2nd quarter 2017: Labour Supply: Number of Persons in Employment Rises

Swiss and Foreign Workers

Between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, the number of foreign workers rose by 2.6 percent and that of Swiss workers by 0.7 percent. The number of foreigners (ID B or L, + 3.3% for at least 12 months in Switzerland) has risen the most, followed by the workforce with a cross-border commuter permit (ID G: + 3.1% (ID card C: + 1.6%) and the employee with a short residence permit (ID L, less than twelve months in Switzerland: + 0.9%).

Unemployed According to ILO

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Unemployment in Switzerland and in Europe

In the second quarter of 2017, 213,000 people were unemployed in Switzerland as defined by the ILO. This is 9000 less than a year earlier. The share of the unemployed in the labor force decreased from 4.6 to 4.4 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2016. On a seasonal basis, the unemployment rate declined slightly from 4.9% to 4.7% compared to the previous quarter. Prior to this, it stood at 4.9 percent between the second quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.
Between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, the unemployment rate fell in the European Union (EU28: from 8.6% to 7.6%) and in the eurozone (EZ19: from 10.0% to 9 , 0%).

Youth Unemployment

In Switzerland, the ILO (15 to 24 year olds) youth unemployment rate remained stable at 6.9 percent between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017. In the same period, the unemployment rate in the European Union (EU28: from 18.7% to 16.6%) and in the Eurozone (EZ19: from 21.0% to 18.5%).

Unemployment According to Different Characteristics

The ILO unemployment rate rose between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017 among the 50- to 64-year-olds (from 3.8% to 4.2%), while the 25- to 49-year-olds declined (From 4.8% to 4.2%). In the case of men, it decreased (from 4.5% to 4.0%), whereas in women it remained unchanged (4.8%). The unemployment rate decreased from 8.3% to 3.1% as well as from foreign nationals (from 8.2% to 7.9%). In the second quarter of 2017 the unemployment rate for the EU28 / EFTA nationals was 5.9 per cent and for third-country nationals 13.0 per cent.

Duration of Unemployment

Between the second quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, the number of long-term unemployed according to ILO (one year or more unemployed) fell from 91,000 to 83,000 persons. The share of long-term unemployed among all unemployed also decreased; It fell from 40.7% to 39.1%. The median unemployment of unemployment fell from 279 to 242 days.

Part-time Work and Underemployment

The number of part-time employees in the second quarter of 2017 amounted to 1.704 million (+6000 compared to the same quarter of the previous year). Among them were 350,000 under-employed, that is, People who want to work more and are available in the short term. In the second quarter of 2017, the underemployment rate was 7.2 percent, lower than the second quarter of 2016 (7.5%).

Unemployment Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate

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