Swiss ILO rate rises to 5,6% in the third quarter

Context

TL;DR

• ILO rate at 5,6% in the third quarter
• 228'000 unemployed, 36'000 more
• Among 15-24-year-olds, the rate is 12,6%
• There are 5,4 million employed people

Key facts

• ILO rate → 5,6%
• Period → third quarter
• People without employment → 228'000
• Change → +36'000 compared with April–June
• Employed people → 5,4 million

The national figure

In the third quarter, the unemployment rate calculated according to the definition of the International Labour Organization (ILO) rose in Switzerland to 5,6%, from 5,1% in the previous three months. On Thursday, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported 228'000 people without employment, 36'000 more than the level recorded in the April–June period.

The increase is not distributed equally among the age groups. The share in the 15–24 age group is 12,6%, after increasing by 4,7 percentage points over twelve months. This is the highest figure among the groups mentioned in the source, which identifies young people as the most affected by unemployment.

The comparison by nationality also highlights a gap: the rate is 8,8% among foreigners and 4,2% among Swiss people. The reported difference is therefore 4,6 percentage points. By gender, the share reaches 5,8% among women and 5,3% among men, with a gap of 0,5 points.

The picture thus brings together a rising national figure and clear differences among the groups considered: the overall rate is higher than in the previous three months, while the youth figure records the increase indicated over twelve months. The overall figure is expressed on a quarterly basis: 5,6% is compared with the previous three months, while the 12,6% for young people is accompanied by a comparison over twelve months. The source therefore uses two time windows to describe the phenomenon and does not indicate, in the available text, a specific sector or cause of the increase.

Operational details

The comparison with Europe

The Swiss figure should be read on two levels: the level reached in the third quarter and the change compared with the reference period. The 5,6% exceeds the 5,1% of the previous three months: the arithmetic difference is 0,5 percentage points. The source places this figure alongside the international comparison made possible by the ILO indicator.

| Reference | Value | Time basis | | Switzerland | 5,6% | third quarter | | Switzerland | 5,1% | previous three months | | EU average | 6,2% | now | | EU average | 6% | a year ago |

In the period indicated by the source, the European Union average is 6,2%, therefore 0,6 points above the Swiss 5,6%. A year earlier, the EU average was 6%. Here too, the information provided is not merely the distance between two levels: Switzerland has a value lower than the European average, but the source indicates that it grew much more. The two time references must nevertheless be kept distinct: for Switzerland, the explicit comparison is with the previous three months, while for the EU it is with a year earlier.

Switzerland's position does not coincide with that of all the other European countries. Thirteen nations currently record a percentage lower than Switzerland's; the examples listed include Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. The figure therefore provides a comparison of levels and a relative position, but the text does not provide the individual percentages for those thirteen countries. However, both the 6,2% of the EU average and the 6% from a year ago remain documented, sufficient bases for distinguishing the Swiss figure from the European reference without turning the comparison into a complete ranking.

Key points

The method and the employment data

The ILO statistic is based on surveys. A person without a job who has looked for work in the previous four weeks and is available to work is considered unemployed. The definition therefore brings together three conditions stated in the source: lack of employment, recent job search and availability.

The monthly statistic of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, on the other hand, considers people registered with the regional employment offices; between July and September, its value remained at 3.0%. In the text, 3.0% is the value from the monthly survey based on registrations, while 5.6% is the ILO rate for the third quarter. The source presents the two figures separately, associating them with their respective survey criteria.

Employment increasing year on year

There were 5.4 million employed people. Their number was 0.3% lower than in the previous quarter and 0.5% higher year on year. The two references produce different readings of the same figure: in the quarter-to-quarter comparison, the change is negative, while compared with the previous year it is positive. The summary provided by the source is that employment is growing in the Confederation and, at the same time, unemployment is also increasing.

No causes, economic sectors or differences between Cantons are indicated beyond the groups and comparisons reported. The available content therefore documents rates, periods, survey criteria and the number of employed people, without adding explanations about the origin of the movement. For those seeking employment, the job listings are available.

Source: rsi.ch