The number of jobs advertised throughout Switzerland, between October and November 2018 increased by 3.7%, according to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index. This is the highest increase in advertised job vacancies for this period, since the start of the index.

The German-speaking region led monthly growth with a 3.9% increase. Meanwhile, the Swiss Romande (French-speaking) region recorded a 2.2% increase.

Growth during the period was principally driven by three regions: the Eastern region with 9.3% growth, followed by the mid region (6.0%) and the Central region (4.6%). These regions have a strong focus in the health and life sciences, manufacturing, aviation, defence and logistics industries. The Lake Geneva region recorded a 2.2% increase while Zurich recorded a decrease of 3.0%.

“The demand for specialists has reached the stage where top candidates, with the most highly sought-after skills, are receiving multiple offers and being fast-tracked through the recruitment process,” Nicolai Mikkelsen, Executive Director, Michael Page, said. “This is especially the case for candidates with specialist skills in the pharma and specialist chemical industries, transport, logistics, IT property management and sales”.