‘Swiss first’ job registration scheme a success, says report
The requirement for employers to register vacancies with regional unemployment centres, introduced following a vote to limit the number of workers from the EU, is going better than expected, officials say.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SECO/Keystone-SDA/swissinfo.ch/ilj
Português
pt
Sistema que dá prioridade para trabalhadores suíços apresenta bons resultados
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said on FridayExternal link that around 200,000 jobs had been advertised with the centres over the period of a year.
“The number of jobs registered is almost three times more than what was expected before this measure was introduced,” SECO said in a statement. Over 80% of the jobs posted were in the catering/hotels, construction and manufacturing sectors.
Since July 2018 companies have been obliged to register vacancies with the centres for occupations where the national unemployment rate is at least 8%. This affects around one in ten job vacancies. The threshold will be lowered to 5% from January 2020.
This SECO video shows how the practice works.
External Content
Mass immigration initiative
The move was introduced after the adoption of the controversial “against mass immigration initiative” by Swiss voters in 2014, which sought to limit the number of workers from the EU coming to Switzerland.
The final outcome was the result of walking the extremely fine line between honouring the wishes of the voters, while simultaneously preserving bilateral relations with the European Union, which could be threatened if Switzerland were to enact immigration quotas.
SECO’s report found that the administrative procedures between employers, private job placement agencies and centres were running smoothly. The higher than expected number of registered jobs showed that the measure was largely accepted by companies, SECO said in a statement.
Jobs found
The regional unemployment centres checked more that 98% of jobs within a day and posted them on the portal work.swiss,External link which gives job seekers signed up to it a five-day head start over others who are looking for work as these jobs are not advertised elsewhere during this time.
The centres can also send a list of jobseekers with a matching profile to the employer: and in this case, they sent dossiers to employers in more than half of the jobs announced. Around 4,800 job seekers found a eventually found a post through this method, a number that does not include those who found employment though consulting work.swiss directly.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Switzerland’s priciest street makes room for a bakery shop
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?
What is your experience with AI at work? Have you already used it? Has it helped you work better? Or has it caused you more stress, more work or caused you to lose your job? Tell us about your experiences!
This content was published on
Researchers at the University of Zurich have used artificial intelligence to detect antibiotic-resistant germs for the first time.
Vatican reprimands Swiss bishops for their handling of abuse allegations
This content was published on
The Vatican has reprimanded several Swiss bishops in connection with allegations of sexual abuse and their handling of it, including cover-ups.
Regional bus travel authorised between Italy and Switzerland
This content was published on
Passengers on public regional bus services between Italy and Switzerland will be able to board and alight within both countries.
Switzerland still gets poor marks on fighting corruption
This content was published on
Switzerland is still not getting good marks from the Council of Europe’s Group of States when it comes to fighting corruption.
Swiss man released after arrest in connection with Austrian bomb threats
This content was published on
A 20-year-old Swiss man was arrested under suspicion that he sent emails with bomb threats against numerous institutions in Austria.
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.
Read more
More
Immigration vote result highlights Swiss unease
This content was published on
The VOX analysis shows that the vote, which was 50.3% in favour of the initiative, was marked by a strong left-right opposition. Supporters of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party voted massively in favour of the proposal to limit immigration from the European Union – a stance mirrored by the members of the centre-left Social Democratic…
This content was published on
The unemployment rate in Switzerland averaged 2.6% in 2018, a ten-year low, after strong economic growth in the first six months of the year.
Swiss opt for ‘Euro-compatible’ scheme to limit immigration
This content was published on
Swiss employers wishing to recruit from abroad may first have to search for candidates among unemployed locals, and justify any rejections in writing.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s leading business groups say that strict quotas are not the way to handle last February’s vote to limit immigration.
This content was published on
German journalist Steffen Klatt takes a sober look at the state of relations between Brussels and Bern in his new book.
Could new immigrants threaten jobs of older construction workers?
This content was published on
The Swiss construction industry is one of the few sectors that employs large numbers of foreigners in low-skilled jobs and has high unemployment.
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.