Swiss companies published 4% more job ads in the first quarter of 2018 when compared to the same period last year according to the Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index.

This increase in job advertisements was driven mainly by strong growth in the Lake Geneva Region. Meanwhile demand for IT staff continues to grow. Adecco stated that overall, excellent economic development in Switzerland is driving the number of job vacancies.

Companies in the Lake Geneva region posted 27% more job advertisements in the first quarter of 2018 than they did in the first quarter of last year.

“In 2016 we were already seeing the first rise in the number of job advertisements in this region. In general, this trend reflects the positive economic climate in the Lake Geneva Region. The boom in the Swiss export market in particular is having a great impact on the Lake Geneva Region,” Jan Müller from the Swiss Job Market Monitor at the University of Zurich, said.

In comparison to the first quarter of 2017, the number of job advertisements in almost all of the other regions remained stable. Marginal changes were reported in Central Switzerland (+2%), Espace Mittelland (+1%), the Greater Zurich Area (-1%), and in Eastern Switzerland (-3%), while the number of job advertisements in Northwestern Switzerland decreased (-6%).

The Index also showed a 17% increase in job ads for the IT sector.

“Over the last quarters, an increasing number of jobs were advertised in the IT job group in particular,” Nicole Burth, CEO of The Adecco Group Switzerland, said. “It is not always easy to fill IT positions successfully, which is why these advertisements remain posted over a relatively long period.”

“The number of vacant positions for IT jobs has been growing for almost a year in nearly all of the regions,” Burth said. “We assume that based on the new technological options available, companies are now tending to search for employees who will drive forward their automation processes. On the one hand, these positions require a great deal of technical expertise, while on the other hand automation also demands coordination, process optimisation and communication.”