After a 4% increase in Q1 2022 from the Q1 2021, the Swiss job market has now stabilised at a high level. In the second quarter of 2023, the Job Index reported job vacancies increased by 5% compared to the second quarter of 2022, according to the latest Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index and the University of Zurich’s Swiss Job Market Monitor.

On a quarterly basis, the Index showed no growth (0%).

Marcel Keller, country president Adecco Group Switzerland, said, “While the experts from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs predicted a below-average development of the Swiss economy in 2023, many companies are continuing to complain about a lack of workers. This appears to be supporting demand for skilled workers despite the economic downturn and has so far prevented any negative developments in the Swiss job market."

In comparison to the same quarter of the previous year, both Latin-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland have seen positive developments in the job market. Latin-speaking Switzerland (French and Italian-speaking) (11%) has experienced a more dynamic development that German-speaking Switzerland (4%).

The different growth rates can be traced back to the different trends that emerged in both language regions in 2022. While the job market in German-speaking Switzerland saw constant growth and reached a record high at the end of 2022, the development of the job market in Latin-speaking Switzerland was somewhat more volatile. After reaching an all-time high at the start of 2022, the job market in Latin-speaking Switzerland suffered a decline in the middle of the year before recovering towards the end of the year.

Comparing H1 2023 to H1 2022, most of the occupational groups (eight out of 14) showed higher-than-average growth in the first half of 2023. Growth was led by skilled construction and development personnel (20%). On the other hand, the steepest decline was seen in academic computer science professionals (-20%).