Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss unemployment rose 0.1 percent in October to reach 4 percent, the highest level since 2005, says the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), 6 November. Compared to last October, the number of unemployed people has increased 57 percent and reached 158,138, Seco says.

The numbers of people working reduced hours jumped in October: 46,936 people are partially employed in 3,118 firms across the country. This is 14.1 and 14 percent more, respectively, than last month, Seco says.

French-speaking cantons, and Ticino, have the highest rates:

Vaud 5.5
Valais 4.1
Neuchâtel 6.5
Genève 7.0
Jura 5.7

A survey undertaken by Seco reveals that 76  percent of the unemployed were happy with the benefits, and 77 percent were happy with the help and advice provided by their unemployment agency (caisse de chômage).

Ed note: careful readers may have noted that GenevaLunch published an article on Swiss unemployment late September by Swiss Statistics which reported 182,000 people out of work in Switzerland and a 4.1 percent unemployment rate. Seco reports people who actually receive unemployment insurance, and follows international methods for compiling such figures, whereas the Swiss Statistics figures are based on a quarterly survey of people who “were between 15 and 74 years old, unemployed in the week of the survey, and had been looking for work in the previous 4 weeks, and were available to work”, and is thus looser in its definition of unemployment.

Links to other sites: Le Temps, TSR

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