Advertised jobs across Switzerland grew by 3% on a year-on-year basis in February 2024, according to the latest Michael Page Swiss Job Index.

Month-on-month, the number of advertised jobs declined by 1%. Freelance jobs grew faster than all other forms of advertised job types between January and February showing a 23% increase. With 8% monthly growth, the number of advertised interim and fixed-term contracts also rose faster than permanent jobs which declined by -2%.

Yannick Coulange, managing director of PageGroup Switzerland, said, “Heightened economic and geopolitical risks have made employers and candidates more cautious. Freelance and interim employment contracts are seen as a way to help manage business risks. As a result, we are seeing a significant increase in most forms of non-permanent work, which currently represent around 10% of advertised jobs.”

According to the Michael Page Talent Trends survey, the growth in interim jobs is in line with the fundamental change happening in the market.

The survey states that loyalty to an employer has lost its lustre with data showing that 9 out of 10 people who started a new job within the last year are open to new opportunities. Many candidates find advantages with non-permanent work options, from both a career development and work life balance perspective. The demand for less experienced professionals to build careers is so strong that “job hopping” among younger employees is increasing.

At the same time, many employers have increased recruitment requirements to include, for example, candidates undertaking extensive assessments and aptitude tests. As a result,

Michael Page added that with recruitment times for permanent roles are longer than ever amid increased requirements candidates prefer to invest in building their careers through project-based work in permanent or non-permanent contracts. Interim roles normally do not have such heightened requirements. “This situation, where both employers and candidates make greater use of non-permanent contracts, is expected to continue for the foreseeable future,” the survey stated.