Job search: Swiss are only partially confident
At 51 percent, the confidence of the Swiss is just above the European average (49%) and slightly higher than that of job seekers in Austria, France or Italy - underlines the latest study by PageGroup, just published under the title "Confidence Index (April - June 2016)".
Every quarter, at least 900 Swiss candidates are surveyed by PageGroup. According to the PageGroup Confidence Index, Swedish job seekers are the most confident about their own professional future. They are followed by German candidates. The survey, conducted between April and June, reveals that Swiss job seekers have seen their own expectations drop since the "franc shock" and subsequent economic fallout. Some results:
- 49% expect their area of responsibility to change positively in the next few months - 53% in German-speaking Switzerland, 48% in French-speaking Switzerland.
- Two-thirds (65%) expect their work-life balance to deteriorate. Swiss job seekers under 30 are thus more pessimistic than the rest of continental Europe.
Only 38% of Swiss candidates under 30 expect an improvement in this respect, compared with 48% in Germany. The majority of Swiss (58%) do not expect a salary increase within a year, compared to 55% last year. However, compared with the European average (37%), Swiss job seekers are more confident about developing their own skills (41%).
"Those who seek jobs, find jobs"
Almost half of Swiss candidates are optimistic about finding a new job in the next 3 months. This is significantly above the previous year's results (38%) and above the European average of 45%.
Job seekers' confidence depends significantly on gender, age, and region:
- Men are more positive than women about the future labor market situation. Some 67% expect an improvement in the next 6 months. Among women, the figure is only 59%.
- Candidates under 30 are the most confident about salary increases and they are optimistic about finding a new job in the next 3 months.
Candidates in French-speaking Switzerland are more confident than German-speaking Swiss in finding a new job within less than 3 months. Xavier Chauville, Executive Director at Page Personnel (part of PageGroup), states: "The study shows that younger job seekers are particularly confident about their value in the labor market. They are confident they will find at least an equivalent position and salary with a new employer. Younger candidates' expectations regarding work-life balance, training and salary are realistic. They are fully aware that they will have to work longer and harder to achieve this."
About the PageGroup Confidence Index: The data basis for Continental Europe was formed by responses from 13,300 candidates in Q1 2016, and data from 15,700 candidates was collected in Q2. At least 900 Swiss candidates are surveyed each quarter. The study is evaluated on a quarterly basis.
