According to the latest PageGroup Confidence Index, when it comes to being able to find a job within three months, confidence amongst job seekers in Switzerland grew by 40% in Q4 2016 compared to the previous year.

The Index showed that 53% of candidates expect to find a job within three months compared with 38% in Q4 2015. Confidence about career development prospects improved by 20% while confidence about work-life balance and salary levels decreased by 15% and 16% respectively over the same period.

Candidates in the Swiss Romande region are more confident than their counterparts in the German-speaking region. The data showed that 58% of candidates in the Swiss Romande expect to find a job within three months compared with 36% during the same time in 2015. This represents a year-on-year increase of 62%.

Meanwhile, 47% of job seekers in the German-speaking region expect to find a job within three months compared with 39% in Q4 2015. This represents a year-on-year increase of 21%.

The Index also showed that 69% of candidates expect to have better opportunities to development their skills over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, 63% of the Swiss job candidates are confident about the future of the Swiss economy. However, 59% do not expect to obtain salary increases over the next 12 months.

“The outlook for job seekers definitely improved over 2016 and we see continued strong demand in 2017 – especially for specialists in IT, sales, engineering, logistics and pharmaceuticals,” Xavier Chauville, Executive Director, Page Personnel, said. “Companies continue to increase their reliance on temporary and interim roles. Qualified candidates, who are open to both temporary and permanent options and flexible about what is included in their total package, can be confident of finding the right job."