Health and Life Sciences lead in job growth
Michael Page has also been informing its clients in Switzerland with surveys since 2001. According to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index, the health and life sciences industry is currently experiencing an extreme regional upswing.
According to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index, the Health and Life Sciences sector showed the strongest growth in advertised jobs for October with +6.7 % (September-October 2019) and +17.7 % (October 2018-October 2019) respectively. Demand for doctors, pharmacists and biologists in the health and life sciences sector was particularly strong in cantons such as Basel, Geneva, Zug and Zurich.
Across Switzerland, the number of advertised jobs grew by +0.3 % from September to October and by +17.6 % year-on-year. German-speaking Switzerland, which accounted for nine out of ten job advertisements, recorded monthly growth of +0.3 % and annual growth of +17.7 %. In French-speaking Switzerland, growth rates of +0.4 % and +16.3 % respectively were recorded.
Dynamic job growth in the IT sector continued, with systems specialists being particularly sought after.
| Areas with job growth | Monthly growth (Sept. 2019 - Oct. 2019) | Year-on-year growth (Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2019) |
| Health and life sciences specialists | +6,7% | +17,7 % |
| IT specialists | +4,8% | +26,6% |
| Insurance experts | +4,6% | +9,0% |
| Real estate specialists | +3,0% | +5,5% |
| Management support and manager company administration | +2,0% | +24,3% |
"Beyond attractive employment packages, we recommend that employers clearly communicate how they will provide top candidates in their company with access to the latest developments in their fields. In the health and life sciences industry, this applies to areas such as immunotherapy and clinical informatics," explains Nicolai Mikkelsen, Executive Director at Michael Page.
Central Switzerland with strongest regional growth
Central Switzerland (LU, NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG) recorded the strongest results, with monthly growth of +2.1 % and annual growth of +15.9 %. In fact, all regions reported strong annual growth. Limited regional monthly growth is based on a seasonal trend.
| Regions | Monthly growth (Sept. 2019 - Oct. 2019) | Year-on-year growth (Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2019) |
| Central Switzerland (LU, NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG) | +2,1% | +15,9% |
| Northern Switzerland (AG, BL, BS) | +0,7% | +11,4% |
| Lake Geneva (GE, VD, VS) | +0,6% | +17,9% |
| Central Plateau (BE, FR, JU, NE, SO) | +0,4% | +16,7% |
| Zurich (ZH) | +0,2% | +14,1% |
| Eastern Switzerland (AI, AR, GL, GR, SG, SH, TG) | -1,6% | +29,1% |
