The number of jobs advertised in Switzerland increased by +19.3% during July 2014, compared with the same month last year, according to the Swiss Job Index (SJI) from international recruitment firm Michael Page.

The SJI is a monthly indicator of the number and types of jobs advertised in Switzerland. The data for the report is collated on the 15^th of each month.

The number of jobs advertise in July fell by -1.8% compared with June 2014. Charles Franier, Executive Director at Michael Page, commented on the month-on-month decline: “The decline in vacancies in July is due to the summer break – it is a seasonal effect. However, the annual comparison shows the true dynamics of the Swiss labour market.”

Despite the month-on-month decline, several sectors reported a rise in job vacancies. The computer science sector reported growth of +1.4% in new jobs between June and July 2014. The sector also recorded growth of +3% over the past three months.

The publishing and printing industry reported month-on-month growth of +1.6% in job vacancies, but strong growth of +19.7% since the start of 2014. The food industry reported vacancy growth of +1.9% between June and July 2014, and growth of +22.1% compared with July 2013.

The number of jobs advertised in the property sector, however, decreased by -7.6%, month-on-month. Over the past three months, the number of vacancies in the sector declined by -12.1%.

On a monthly basis, the number of jobs in Architecture and the Planning sector fell by -1.4%. Another negative trend identified by the report was in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, which reported a fall in vacancies of -3.5% between June and July, and a decline of -1.3% year-on-year.