Switzerland has set a new record for the highest number of job vacancies recorded in the country in December. The number of open jobs in Switzerland rose to a record 235.000, driven by industries most affected by COVID restrictions.

Job vacancies for medical and hospitality industries in Switzerland

People who are looking to work in Switzerland have never had this many options. According to labour market analyst x28, there are 235.185 jobs waiting to be filled, setting a new record for Switzerland in December. Project manager for x28, Carole Kläy, said the trend was new for the country: "In the past, the number of open jobs has decreased slightly each month in the run-up to Christmas."

The data showed that the catering and hotel industries had over 10.000 jobs available. In tourism, there were 133 percent more jobs advertised in December 2021 than in December 2020. For specific roles, nurses were in the highest demand with 6.395 open positions. Swissinfo previously reported many healthcare workers were leaving hospitals during the pandemic.

Kläy noted the main reason for the large number of vacancies now was a result of COVID restrictions from 2020, explaining, “Especially in sectors such as the catering industry, some [workers] re-specialised themselves during the shutdown," leading to a smaller pool of candidates. Fewer expats have come to Switzerland over the last year as well, which x28 cites as another contributing factor to higher vacancy rates.

Swiss workers will be able to secure higher wages

The number of open jobs have been increasing across Europe, explained Marco Salvi, economist for Avenir Suisse. He noted that the current situation is beneficial to workers as they can now command higher salaries in their work contracts. “Companies want to keep good staff and are willing to pay for them,” said Salvi.

Going forward, Chief Economist at the Swiss Employers Confederation, Simon Wey, warned, "There is a lack of well-qualified people in many industries, and this shortage will only worsen." He predicted that an ageing society with reduced immigration and strong job growth means Switzerland must attract new, highly skilled workers fast.