Swiss unemployment numbers may be underreported

Switzerland may be under-reporting its unemployment numbers compared to the international norm.

The International Labour Office defines unemployment as some one who isn’t working but says they can take a suitable job with 2 weeks or less notice. Many other countries use the similar method. 

But Switzerland only counts those who are claiming unemployment benefits, which expire. So, when someone who isn’t working and no longer entitled to payments, they drop out of the numbers. 

Currently, the official Swiss unemployment rate is 2.3%, but using the more internationally accepted method, it’s close to 4.2%.

In Geneva, the numbers are even more sharp. Officially the rate is 4.3%, but the ILO method suggests it could be as high as 10%.

 

 

 

More from Bitesize News

  • Bank details compromised

    British digital bank Revolut has admitted handing customer information to fraudsters who impersonated a European government agency

  • Watch theft victim speaks out

    A luxury watch dealer just across the French border from Geneva has broken his silence about a violent robbery earlier this month

  • Crans Montana hearings due before end of year

    Jessica Moretti, who ran the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, is now living in near-isolation in the Valais village of Lens more than eight months after the deadly New Year's Eve fire

  • Better news for economy

    Switzerland's economy will grow 1.7% this year — nearly double the 0.9% expansion forecast in June, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said yesterday

  • Geneva budget plan unveiled

    Geneva has now put figures to its austerity plan — a CHF 546 million deficit for 2027, even after CHF 247 million in cuts

  • Summer fires increase

    Firefighters across French-speaking Switzerland tackled far more vegetation fires this summer than in any of the past five years

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play