Unemployment in Switzerland increased slightly and at a comparatively very low level in January, while the outlook is good despite the economic slowdown.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/SWI
Español
es
La situación del mercado laboral suizo sigue siendo favorable
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said that 100,776 people were registered as unemployed at the end of January, up 3,800 than on the previous month. As a result, the unemployment rate rose to 2.2% from 2.1% per cent.
It’s the lowest jobless rate for January in more than 20 years.
Despite the expected increase, the situation on the Swiss labour market remains favourable compared with figures from 12 months ago.
In January 2022, the number of unemployed was almost 21,500 higher.
Experts say the unemployment rate is usually subject to seasonal fluctuations because there is less work in the winter months, for example, in construction, agriculture and gastronomy.
Positive outlook
For the year as a whole, the government economists are known to expect a slight increase in unemployment. On average, a value of 2.3% is predicted for 2023 and 2.4% for 2024. “We are on track with the January figures,” SECO’s Oliver Schärli said. “But of course a lot could still happen in the course of the year.”
In general, however, the shortage of skilled workers on the Swiss labour market probably remains the bigger problem than unemployment, he added.
Read more about the reasons for a shortage of skilled labour in Switzerland:
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
An atomic ‘tick-tock’ with Swiss technology heads to space to test the Einstein effect
This content was published on
On Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the ACES set of atomic clocks to measure the effect of gravity on the passage of time.
Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed following Pope Francis death
This content was published on
The swearing-in ceremony of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which usually takes place on May 6 each year, has been postponed to a date to be announced next autumn.
Swiss medical device maker Ypsomed to sell diabetes business
This content was published on
Bern-based injection device manufacturer Ypsomed announced on Tuesday that it was selling its diabetes-related activities.
Award-winning Swiss author and scholar Peter von Matt dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Alemannic writer and former professor of German literature Peter von Matt died on Monday in Zurich at the age of 87, following a long illness.
Swiss foreign minister spoke with Iranian counterpart about US dialogue
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has spoken with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi about the current dialogue between the US and Iran.
Swiss foreign minister appeals for cohesion and dialogue at Expo in Japan
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis called for cohesion and dialogue at the opening of the Swiss National Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on Tuesday.
Switzerland postpones launch of emergency number for domestic violence victims
This content was published on
The launch of the “142” emergency number, which aims to help victims of domestic violence in Switzerland, has been postponed to May 2026.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.