Number of people in work rises in Switzerland

The number of people in employment rose in Switzerland in the second quarter.

At the end of June, 5.4 million people were in employment across the country, 0.8% more than a year earlier, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said in a press release on Tuesday.

In full-time equivalents (FTEs), the increase was limited to 0.6%. The employment rate for 15- to 64-year-olds fell slightly, from 80% to 79.5%. Converted to FTEs, this rate fell from 67.5% to 67.2%.

Between the first and second quarters, after adjustment for seasonal variations, the number of people in employment rose by 0.5% and the number of FTEs by 0.2%.

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The unemployment rate, calculated in accordance with International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, rose from April to June to 4.9%, up from 4.6% a year earlier. This corresponds to 252,000 people, an increase of 15,000 year-on-year.

By way of comparison, the unemployment rate remained at 5.9% in the EU, with variations across neighbouring countries. In Germany, it rose from 3.7% to 3.9%, in France from 7.2% to 7.9% and in Austria from 5.5% to 5.6%, while in Italy it fell from 6.5% to 5.9%.

Quarter-on-quarter, the ILO unemployment rate rose slightly, from 5% to 5.1%.

The unemployment rate calculated by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), meanwhile, stood at 3% in April and May, before falling to 2.9% in June. In July, it rose back to 3%.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.