Swiss Labour Force Survey in 3rd quarter 2019: 0.3percent increase in number of employed persons; unemployment rate based on ILO definition rose to 4.6percent

In Switzerland, a total of 5.094 million persons were in gainful employment in the third quarter of 2019, 0.3% more than in the third quarter of 2018. The number of employed men rose by 0.2%, and that of employed women by 0.3% , Full-time equivalent (FTE) declined by 0.2% year-on-year (men: -0.2%, women: -0.2%). Seasonally adjusted, the number of employed persons and the number of FTEs decreased slightly by 0.1% and 0.2% respectively between the 2nd and the 3rd quarter of 2019.

Unemployed According to ILO, Q1 2014-Q3 2019

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Between the 3rd quarter of 2018 and the 3rd quarter of 2019, the number of foreign workers increased by 0.9%, while that of the Swiss working population remained stable. Among the foreign workers, the increase was highest among frontier workers (ID card G: + 3.3%). This is followed by persons with a residence permit (ID C: + 0.3%) and those with a residence permit (ID B or L, for at least twelve months in Switzerland: + 0.3%). On the other hand, the number of gainfully employed persons with a short-term residence permit (L permit, less than 12 months in Switzerland) declined (-6.4%).

Unemployment in Switzerland and in Europe

According to the International Labor Office (ILO), 225,000 persons were unemployed in the third quarter of 2019 in Switzerland. This is around 8,000 more than a year earlier. The share of the unemployed in the labor force was 4.6%, higher than in the third quarter of 2018 (4.4%). Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate remained stable compared to the previous quarter (4.4%). Both in the European Union and in the euro area, the unemployment rate fell between the 3rd quarter of 2018 and the 3rd quarter of 2019 (EU28: from 6.5% to 6.2%, EZ19: from 7.7% to 7, 3%).

youth unemployment

In Switzerland, according to the ILO, the youth unemployment rate (15- to 24-year-olds) increased from 9.2% to 10.9% between the 3rd quarter of 2018 and the 3rd quarter of 2019. The youth unemployment rate in the European Union and in the euro area decreased during this period (EU28: from 15.2% to 14.4%, EA19: from 16.7% to 15.8%).

Unemployment according to different characteristics

The unemployment rate according to the ILO increased between the 3rd quarter of 2018 and the 3rd quarter of 2019 among the 25- to 49-year-olds (from 3.9% to 4.1%), while among the 50-64-year-olds decreased (from 3.8% to 3.2%). It increased slightly among both men (from 4.2% to 4.3%) and women (from 4.7% to 4.9%). Over the same period, the unemployment rate among Swiss nationals remained stable (3.4%), while it increased among foreign nationals (from 7.3% to 7.8%). In the third quarter of 2019, the ILO’s unemployment rate was 5.4% for EU28 / EFTA nationals and 13.8% for third-country nationals.

Duration of unemployment

Between the third quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2019, the number of long-term unemployed persons according to the ILO increased from 80,000 to 86,000 (one year or more unemployed). The proportion of long-term unemployed among all unemployed also increased (by 37,1%). to 38.1%). The median duration of unemployment, however, fell from 221 to 203 days.

Part-time work and underemployment

The number of part-time workers in the third quarter of 2019 was 1.743 million, 2.6% more than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The proportion of part-time workers increased by 0.5 percentage points among men (from 16.8% to 17.3%) and among women by 1.3 percentage points (from 58.4% to 59.8%). Among the part-time workers there were 372 000 underemployed persons, i. People who want to work more and are available at short notice. The underemployment rate totaled 7.6% in the third quarter of 2019, higher than in the third quarter of 2018 (7.1%). This proportion was 12.0% for women and 3.6% for men.

Unemployment Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate, Q3 2019

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