KOF: employment prospects improve, above multi-year average
Keystone-SDA
The outlook for the Swiss labour market is improving, according to the employment indicator by KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
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The indicator stood at 2.4 points in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 1.1 points compared to the October-December period. The index also returned to above the multi-year average.
After peaking in mid-2022, the indicator had fallen steadily for about three years, slipping into negative territory in the third quarter of 2025 for the first time since the pandemic. The recovery started in the last quarter of last year and is now continuing.
The indicator is based on the responses of 4,500 companies surveyed in July. The percentage of firms planning to expand their workforce in the next three months exceeds that of those aiming to reduce it.
However, the picture remains uneven across sectors. Construction appears to be the most dynamic, while the wholesale and retail trades are struggling.
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Swiss unemployment continues to rise
Adapted from Italian by AI/mga
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