According to the PageGroup Job Confidence Index for Q2 2018, 57% of job seekers said they were confident about the overall improvement of their employment situation in the next 6 to 12 months. This is the highest rate since the index was launched in 2014.

PageGroup also found that at 18%, the rise in confidence over one year (Q2 2017 – Q2 2018) is the highest ever recorded and exceeds that of neighbouring countries such as Germany (6%), France (12%) and Italy (11%).

Meanwhile, confidence was found to be higher in German-speaking Switzerland than in French-speaking Switzerland (56%).

Further data from the PageGroup Job Confidence Index also found that 58% of candidates said they were not ready to change jobs at the cost of their work/life balance. Nearly half of respondents (44%) said they thought they would improve their work/life balance in the next 12 months, while 18% of jobseekers were actively looking for a new job in order to find a better balance between professional and private life.

Jérôme Bouin, Managing Director of PageGroup Switzerland, said that jobseekers' prospects have improved significantly since early 2018, for both permanent and temporary positions.

"We are seeing particularly strong demand in the IT, sales, engineering, banking and accounting sectors,” Bouin said. “Candidates know that wages are capped in many industries. Employers therefore have every interest in offering other benefits that attract the best talent. This includes flexible working conditions and skills development that better align work and private life.”