Optimism for the Swiss labour market in 2018 (6 reasons)

Optimism is relative. However, surveys such as the Swiss Job Index and the PageGroup Confidence Index provide reasons for an optimistic outlook for the Swiss labor market:

1. The number of advertised jobs increased by +25.3 percent compared to the previous year (December 2016 - December 2017): According to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index (December 2017), this is the second year in a row that advertised jobs have shown positive double-digit growth.
2. Candidates have never been more optimistic: according to the PageGroup Confidence Index (Q4 2017), job seeker confidence peaked in Q3 2017 and remained at that level in Q4 2017. 53 percent of candidates are confident that they will improve their overall job situation in the next 6 to 12 months.
3. Interim and temporary jobs increased by 15.3 percent year-on-year (December 2016 - December 2017).Jérôme Bouin, Managing Director of PageGroup Switzerland, has more good news to add: "Many interim jobs are becoming full-time positions."
4. Demand for specialists is outstripping supply: this is particularly true in the IT, pharmaceutical and engineering sectors. "We expect this trend to continue in 2018 - especially as digitalisation in the industrial sector is on the rise," says Jérôme Bouin, Managing Director of PageGroup Switzerland.
5. Companies are investing in sales jobs: the higher the investment in sales, the greater the confidence of entrepreneurs in the increased demand and the resulting earnings. Advertised sales jobs increased by 11% across Switzerland compared to the previous year - particularly in the highly specialised pharmaceutical, medical technology and IT sectors.
6. All regions show strong growth in the number of vacancies advertised: Double-digit year-on-year growth rates in the number of vacancies advertised were recorded in all regions, led by the Central Plateau (BE, FR, JU, NE, SO) with 38.4 and 33.6 percent in Northern Switzerland (AG, BL, BS).

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