Swiss Labour Force Survey in 4rd quarter 2019: 0.9percent increase in number of employed persons; unemployment rate based on ILO definition falls to 3.9percent

Unemployed According to ILO, Q1 2014-Q4 2019

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Swiss and foreign workers

Between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019, the number of foreign workers rose by 1.7% and that of Swiss workers by 0.5%. The increase among cross-border workers was greatest among foreign workers (G pass: + 4.5%). Part of this increase is due to a technical effect (see methodological appendix). This is followed by the people with a settlement permit (ID card C: + 1.1%) and the people with a residence permit (ID card B or L, in Switzerland for at least twelve months: + 0.7%). By contrast, the number of people in employment with a short-term residence permit (permit L, in Switzerland for less than twelve months) fell (–4.5%).

Unemployment in Switzerland and Europe

In the fourth quarter of 2019, 192,000 people were unemployed in Switzerland as defined by the ILO. That is 34,000 fewer than a year earlier. The share of the unemployed in the labor force was 3.9%, lower than in the fourth quarter of 2018 (4.6%). Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to 4.1% compared to the previous quarter. Between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019, the unemployment rate decreased both in the European Union (EU28: from 6.6% to 6.2%) and in the euro area (EZ19: from 7.9% to 7 , 5%).

youth unemployment

In Switzerland, the youth unemployment rate (15- to 24-year-olds) rose from 7.3% to 7.7% between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019 according to the ILO. Over the same period, the youth unemployment rate fell both in the European Union (EU28: from 14.7% to 14.0%) and in the euro area (EZ19: from 16.3% to 15.2%).

Unemployment according to different characteristics

The unemployment rate according to the ILO decreased between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019 for both the 25 to 49 year olds (from 4.6% to 3.5%) and the 50 to 64 year olds (from 3.9% to 3.4%). For men it decreased from 4.1% to 3.7%, for women from 5.1% to 4.1%. The rate declined for all levels of education (persons without post-compulsory education: from 8.3% to 6.7%; with a qualification at upper secondary level: from 4.7% to 4.0%; with a qualification at tertiary level: from 3.2 % to 3.0%). Over the same period, the unemployment rate for Swiss people fell from 3.5% to 3.0% and for foreigners from 7.5% to 6.3%. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the unemployment rate according to the ILO was 4.6% for EU28 / EFTA nationals and 10.5% for nationals from third countries.

Duration of unemployment

Between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019, the number of long-term unemployed according to the ILO (one year or more unemployed) fell sharply from 93,000 to 67,000. The share of long-term unemployed among the unemployed also decreased (from 41.0% to 34.6%). The median duration of unemployment decreased from 249 to 215 days.

Part-time work and underemployment

The number of part-time workers in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 1.762 million, 1.4% more than in the same quarter of the previous year. The proportion of part-time workers rose by 0.2 percentage points for men (from 17.5% to 17.7%), while it remained unchanged at 59.3% for women. There were 346,000 underemployed among the part-time workers, i.e. People who want to work more and are available at short notice. The overall underemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 7.0%, lower than in the fourth quarter of 2018 (7.2%). It was 3.7% for men and 10.8% for women.

Unemployment Rate and Youth Unemployment Rate, Q4 2019

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