Nearly half of employers in Switzerland planning to hire, study finds
By Jan de Boer
A new survey from the employment agency Manpower Group has revealed that nearly half of international companies and domestic businesses in Switzerland are planning to offer more jobs in the second quarter of 2024. Most of the new vacancies are expected to come in areas most impacted by the ongoing shortage of workers.
47 percent of employers planning to hire in Switzerland
According to the survey, 47 percent of employers surveyed said that they plan to hire new workers in Switzerland in the second quarter of 2024. 32 percent of firms expect to keep employment numbers the same in the next few months, while 18 percent said that some of their staff will lose their jobs.
The findings align with reporting from previous weeks, which revealed that many international firms are increasingly interested in a move to the alpine nation. In a recent episode of the German news show Tagesschau, the chairman of chainsaw manufacturer Stihl admitted that while Swiss salaries are high, it is now cheaper to run a business in Switzerland than in Germany.
High demand jobs in Switzerland: From healthcare to finance
The vast majority of new vacancies are expected to be offered for jobs that are in the highest demand in Switzerland at the moment. Healthcare and life science workers are expected to be the most sought-after, followed by banking and finance, real estate, transport, logistics, automotive, and consumer goods and services.
Manpower Group noted that businesses across Switzerland are expected to hire, except Ticino which is seeing employment prospects drop slightly. In terms of the most in-demand regions, companies in the Lake Geneva region are the most likely to hire in the second quarter of 2024, followed by firms in central and northwestern Switzerland.
With more than 120.000 unfilled jobs recorded in Switzerland at the end of 2023 by the Federal Statistical Office, the country faces its toughest labour shortage since 2003. With the birth rate in Switzerland continuing its gradual decline, it seems inevitable that new expats and internationals will be vital in plugging the gap in employment.
Thumb image credit: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.com
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Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016.
While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more