Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Pandemic exacerbating gender disparities at work

Employee at retail store
An increase in workload in sectors where women are highly represented, like retail, during the pandemic may explain why women give worse ratings than men to their work conditions. Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Women are the big losers of the Covid-19 crisis and telework is a “double-edged sword”, according to an annual barometer of working conditions in Switzerland.

Even before the pandemic hit, women were rating their workplace conditions worse than men by 1.6-1.8 index points. But this difference has more than doubled in 2020, to 3.3-3.8 index points, the independent workers’ umbrella organisation Travail.Suisse said on Thursday.

This can be explained by an increase in workload in sectors where women are highly represented – such as the retail trade and healthcare services – over the course of the pandemic.

Healthcare is the only sector to receive lower scores than in previous years in all areas covered in the barometer.  

Working from home has both its advantages and disadvantages, according to the representative survey of 1,500 employees across Switzerland. Respondents appreciated the peace and quiet of telework and being able to scrap commuting from their schedule, but they viewed less favourably shorter or non-existent breaks and being permanently reachable.

On a more positive note, internal communication with employees had improved during the health crisis, said Travail.Suisse, which conducted its survey in June and July 2020.

Plummeting job numbers

The survey results came as the Federal Statistical Office published its latest employment figures, which showed the number of jobs fell by 0.4% between September 2019 and September 2020.

The sectors hardest hit include manufacturing and the services sector, notably hotels and restaurants. Taking seasonal adjustments into account, there were 5.122 million people in employment, an increase of 0.5% over the previous quarter.

Regionally, canton Ticino posted the biggest decline in jobs (-1.5%). Zurich was the only canton to experience an increase (+0.8%).

The prospects for finding work were also bleak: the number of vacancies fell by 15.1%, to 11,900 job openings.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of adult-onset diabetes

More

Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes

This content was published on A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.

Read more: Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
The Graubünden village of Brienz has to be evacuated by midday on Sunday

More

Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday

This content was published on The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.

Read more: Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
Former judge in Chur found guilty of rape

More

Former Swiss judge found guilty of rape

This content was published on A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.

Read more: Former Swiss judge found guilty of rape

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR