The number of employed persons in Switzerland rose by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2017 when compared to the previous year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office.

Employment increased to 4.96 million in the first quarter from 4.93 million in the same period of 2016, a 0.6% increase. When compared to the previous quarter, employment fell from 5.01 million reported in Q4.

For the month of April, the Swiss unemployment rate fell to 3.3% while its temp staffing market was up 1.8% in the same month.