Record growth of +8.5% in Swiss job vacancies
Across Switzerland, the number of job vacancies increased particularly strongly by +8.5% between April and May 2016, compared with -0.7% in the same period last year. Here, French-speaking Switzerland recorded the greatest growth (+12.2%), followed by German-speaking Switzerland with +8.0% in the same period.
The trend of positive growth since January 2016 remains unbroken. The average monthly increase was +5.0% between January and May 2016, compared with +0.4% in the same period of 2015. According to Michael Page's Swiss Job Index, from which these figures are taken, the increase was particularly pronounced in Eastern Switzerland (+18.2%), Central Switzerland (+16.7%) and the Lake Geneva region (+11.2%). Growth drivers are export-oriented industries with demand for experts in engineering, technology, healthcare and lifesciences, as well as banking specialists in legal, compliance and technology. For the first time since September 2013, all cantons - with the exception of the canton of Bern (-0.3%) - showed growth.
"Companies are recruiting again for permanent and for temporary positions," notes Nicolai Mikkelsen, director at Michael Page. "In many cases, they are responding to last year's relatively weak demand. The need for highly qualified candidates in nursing, life sciences, biotech and medtech is particularly high. Because of the shortage of candidates, there is a battle for the best talent in these sectors. There is also an increasing demand in all sectors (+3% since April) for sales specialists. We take this as a good signal that companies are optimistic about the future."
Source: www.michaelpage.ch
