The study "Young Swiss 2018" explores the question of how the working world of tomorrow must be designed in order to reach, attract and retain young workers in the long term. To answer this question, the research team of the Next Gen Marketing Agency jim & jim together with the German youth researcher Simon Schnetzer, surveyed a total of 2,691 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 35 in German-speaking Switzerland online and in personal interviews about their living and working environments, and analyzed the results in a scientifically sound manner.

Social media and smartphones promote pressure to perform and superficiality

Generations Y and Z are characterized, among other things, by the fact that they are constantly online and on many different channels - and are critical of this state of affairs themselves. Most of the young people surveyed admit that social media and smartphones promote pressure to perform and superficiality.

The younger generation is therefore no longer prepared to give in unthinkingly to the pressure to perform of their time. While their predecessor generations still followed rigid career models, the younger generations no longer find performance and career primarily desirable. What is important to them above all is family cohesion, friendship and health.

The Next Gen Motivation Killers on the Job

Generations Y and Z cannot be satisfied in the long term with money, status, a well-known brand and opportunities for promotion. What is important above all is a good work-life balance, flexibility in the job and a positive working atmosphere. Employers must actively cater to all these needs of the younger generation and develop strategies not only to attract young talent, but also to retain it. This requires new approaches in HR and recruiting, but also a rethink among managers. Here, understanding for the mindset of the Next Gen must be created in order to be able to create a productive cooperation between the generations. With regard to digital communication channels, employers also need to be aware of the target-group-specific channels and provide them with relevant content. Here, the study provides information about the channels on which the young target group is online, searches for jobs and how they perceive companies' social media presences.

Value profiles enable the perfect match between companies and the Next Gen

The study offers marketing and employer branding specialists a practical tool: A total of five "young talent" types (see image above) help companies find talents matching the company profile on the relevant channels and address those talents who fit the company profile perfectly. In this way, employers can ultimately reach not only the best, but also the right talents, win them over and retain them in the long term.

The "Young Swiss 2018" study can be downloaded at www.jungeschweizer.ch be acquired.

Digitization has arrived at Swiss companies - but how far has it progressed there? The digital revolution has not yet fully taken hold, according to the results of the survey. This is part of a large-scale study on four IT topic areas at Swiss SMEs and large companies, in which the IT service provider GIA Informatik AG surveyed 2,700 C-level executives from 900 organizations in industry, commerce, mechanical engineering, the public sector and other sectors between March and April 2018. A majority of the participating SMEs (39) employ 100 to 500 people, while every third company (13) has an employment figure of more than 1000.

Strongly affected by digitization

Two-thirds of the executives surveyed testify that their own organization (67.7 percent) and their respective industry (66.7 percent) are strongly to very strongly affected by digitization. They assess that processes (92.1 percent) and products and services (76.3 percent) in particular are exposed to the influence of digitization. Just under two-thirds (62.2 percent) estimate that their customers see digital transformation as an opportunity.

What is the reason for this behavior? Alexander Berger, IT Strategy Consultant at 2BCS AG: "In general, I assume that a quickly recognizable benefit must be evident for companies through digitization. If this is not the case, a certain reluctance arises. Companies with a dominant market position are more willing to drive change in the industry than companies that do not have this market position. However, this does not mean that companies with innovative, digital approaches to solutions do not exist."

SAP S/4HANA not a big topic so far - but soon?

SAP S/4HANA is the new business suite from ERP provider SAP. Since SAP will stop maintaining the current version in 2025, all customers will have to upgrade to it and deal with this change sooner or later. However, the survey clearly shows that only 10.5 percent are using the in-memory database HANA so far; 18.4 percent are planning to introduce it, and 71.1 percent are not using it. Most companies are not yet aware of the SAP S/4HANA Business Suite: 81.6 percent are not using it, 2.6 percent are working with it, and 15.8 percent are thinking about introducing it. Accordingly, there is great potential here.

Companies are satisfied with the response times of their SAP system (76.9 percent) and the timely receipt of information (66.7 percent). The situation is different when it comes to user-friendliness: Only 30.8 percent judge that their system is easy to use, and 38.5 percent think that the display used is useful and clearly structured.

Why do many companies use an external SAP service provider? Primarily to reinforce internal resources with external expertise (75.7 percent) and to carry out the implementation (76.3 percent).

How should these results be assessed? Burim Maraj, CFO/CIO at Skan AG, an internationally active company specializing in the construction of insulators for the pharmaceutical industry: "In my assessment, interest in SAP S/4HANA is definitely there. Companies are following what is currently happening - it is important to build on this. However, many are not aware of the time aspect and the costs for SAP S/4HANA. That's why I sense a certain amount of uncertainty. Perhaps the few implementation partners also lack experience with this new product. In addition, very few want to be the 'early bird' and share the 'teething problems' that may occur. For these reasons, many companies continue to work with the previous system. We are taking a first step and are now introducing the HANA database first and - when everything is mature - will proceed step by step by carrying out a 'readiness check' for SAP S/4HANA."

Alexander Berger adds: "The providers' offerings are varied, the customers' experience with SAP S/4HANA is mostly still limited, the expected follow-up costs are high, and the additional benefits are rather small. Interest will increase at the latest when there is a compelling need for action or there is a recognizable benefit."

Often many years of cooperation with the provider

A third survey targeted companies' relationship with their IT provider. The majority of companies are satisfied with their provider (56.8 percent). "In fact, we generally observe that customers are often satisfied with the overall package," Alexander Berger explains the result. "If not, providers are doing a lot to achieve this state."

The collaboration often lasts for years: Around two-thirds (63.9 percent) have been with their IT and SAP provider for more than five years. Where does this loyal connection to the provider come from? "Customers are very much concerned about cost/benefit. But they also know that switching providers incurs switching costs and does not necessarily lead to added benefits."

Only a minority - 5.5 percent - are considering a change. "Here, fundamental changes - in terms of organization and personnel - at the customer's and the provider's are particularly decisive. In many cases, price does not seem to be the primary consideration," Alexander Berger emphasizes.

Competence of the IT provider is crucial

89.5 percent of companies place the main emphasis on the provider's expertise. The study shows that this is primarily decisive for choosing and staying with the provider. 81.6 percent want tailored solutions and 64.9 percent want sufficient services at very reasonable prices.

Burim Maraj: "Time is money, they say. We need someone who knows how the systems work and can work out a solution as quickly as possible. On the business side, we also have an obligation to our customers to provide quick solutions. If a process or system doesn't work, we can't deliver or invoice - the result is higher costs, dissatisfied customers and consequently a bad image. That's why, on the provider's side, we depend above all on his competence. In addition, he must be experienced, have a high reaction speed and think across processes."

Further information on SAP S/4HANA is available at here.

Source: GIA Informatik AG

As of November 1, Wilhelm Rohde is the new CFO of Swisscard AECS. He has many years of international management experience in finance and strategy. Wilhelm Rohde started his career in the CFO area of the Asian headquarters of American Express. After holding various finance positions, he was responsible for all financial aspects of the global marketing budgets of the US and international consumer card business until the end of 2016. Since the beginning of 2017, he has been Vice President Strategic Business Development in the International Consumer Cards division in London. Prior to Amercian Express, Wilhelm Rohde worked in Germany for the consulting firms Deloitte and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.

45-year-old Wilhelm Rohde studied business administration at the universities of Mannheim and Göttingen, specializing in finance and taxation. He later earned an MBA at the Insead business school in Singapore.

Former CFO Daniel Bürchler left Swisscard in May 2018 for new professional challenges. Since then, Stephan Lohnert took over the role of CFO on an interim basis, in addition to his traditional duties as Head of Treasury. Following the arrival of the new CFO, Stephan Lohnert will once again focus on managing Swisscard's Treasury department.

www.swisscard.ch

At the symposium on October 5, 2018, entitled "Evidence-based Facility Management on Workplace and Sustainable FM", scientists from the USA and Europe met with researchers and students from IFM and representatives from Swiss industry. Presentations ranged from the workplace environment and psychological issues, to IT systems and sustainability, to energy-optimized solutions for buildings. Current research projects of the Institute for Facility Management at the Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management at ZHAW were also presented. A PhD workshop with international doctoral students and a visit to research partner EMPA NEST in Dübendorf also took place the day before the symposium.

Research and verification under real conditions

The visit to NEST at EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research) served as an introduction to the two key topics "Workplace" and "Sustainable Facility Management". Evidence-based research and development work could be experienced live in this unique laboratory. New materials, technologies and concepts in the construction and real estate industry are jointly researched here by industry partners and universities under real conditions, and presumed effects are proven or disproven. Current projects include scenarios with inhabited apartments made of recycled and deconstructable and recyclable materials, new office and work environments, and a fitness studio with a sauna that uses one-sixth of the usual energy.

Research for the working worlds of tomorrow

The symposium was kicked off by researcher Dr. Ying Hua from Cornell University (USA). She presented two cases of workplace design that illustrate the close interrelationship between office design and workplace management. Organizations can thereby recognize the workplace with its ever-increasing strategic value.

Clara Weber, research associate at the ZHAW Institute for Facility Management, focused on the regulation of privacy in the workplace and its measurement. In her presentation, she showed how concepts from environmental psychology and the analysis of employee behavior and perception can influence office design and lead to better health and well-being.

Dr. Eleanor Ratcliffe of Imperial College London (UK) spoke about regenerative environments and how they can contribute to health and well-being. Based on her studies of birdsong in indoor environments, she concluded that personal and cultural aspects contribute to the effect of this particular element of nature on people. For this to happen, soundscapes must match the environment and purpose.

Mastering sustainability in facility management on the basis of evidence

Prof. Markus Hubbuch, specialist for energy and building management at IFM, and Marcel Janser, research associate, showed how the "performance gap" of buildings can be reduced in the future through new business models. Given that a variety of stakeholders, actors, and decisions contribute to this gap, appropriate incentives can be created for energy performance contracting, long-term partnerships, and consideration of non-energy outcomes. Esmir Maslesa from the University of Denmark spoke about the importance of ICT in facilities management as a strong "enabler" to improve the sustainability performance of buildings. From his research, he was able to vividly demonstrate the interrelationships of data, ICT tools and workflows and how they need to be orchestrated to achieve the desired effects.

In his presentation on new instruments for managing large real estate portfolios, Heinz Bernegger from IFM showed the role facility management plays in achieving sustainability goals. Transparency and continuity can hardly be achieved without knowledge-based instruments, not even without recurring measurements of target achievement.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schramm from FH Bielefeld gave an overview of building performance evaluation. In a case study of a university campus, he illustrated the different feedback loops of this approach. The example showed that the idea of user-centered assessment should be extended to the entire life cycle of a building to ensure the best solutions and qualities for the building users and their activities.

Consultant Chris Havers from Wokingham UK presented an FM Sustainability Index with 23 dimensions related to energy, society and regulations. This enables company-wide benchmarking and positions sustainability in FM as part of corporate social responsibility.

Intensive exchange in workshops

Picking up on the content of the presentations, four workshops were held in the afternoon to intensively discuss open questions and approaches to solutions in practice, on the topics of "Workplace Reengineering", "Restorative Environments", "IT systems in FM and sustainable facilities management" and "Measuring sustainability in building operations".

Host and Institute Director Prof. Dr. Antje Junghans bid farewell to the participants with an appeal to intensify international research activities. She said that research helps to gain sound knowledge and to develop forward-looking concepts for sustainable developments. Researchers benefit from theories and methods that help them gain a deeper understanding of complex interrelationships.

The dialog between science, practice and teaching will be continued by IFM at the IFM Day 2019 on March 8, 2019, under the title "Management in Times of Demanded Customer Happiness". The next IFM Symposium on "Health Care and Digital FM" will be on October 4, 2019.

www.zhaw.ch

The SKO has tradition and weight: founded in 1893 as the "Schweizerischer Werkmeister-Verband", it now has 11,000 members. The association is active throughout Switzerland and is independent of party politics. It sees itself as a competence center for managers in all sectors and offers its members numerous services in the areas of continuing education, career services, legal advice, and financial and insurance services.

SKO Anniversary Event

Within the framework of the 125th anniversary of the SKO with the motto "Leadership - the Swiss Way", competent panelists will address the "Future of Leadership Switzerland". Visit the exhibition and discuss with Prof. Dr. Stephanie Kaudela-Baum, Prof. Christoph Negri as well as the two leaders of the digitalized world, Marc Blindenbacher, Swisscom, and Mathias Brenner, Sherpany, on the topic of "Leadership 4.0 - Everything is changing?".

The only constant is change, not only in the age of digitalization. What is changing for future leadership? What remains the same? Where do employees find orientation and support in complex, dynamic structures? What are the biggest challenges and success factors for today's leaders?

Join in the discussion, network and be inspired by the portraits of the 24 personalities at the subsequent vernissage of the SKO anniversary exhibition, which will show what makes Swiss leadership special. And what is needed to position Switzerland as a country of opportunity in the future.

Program

• 17.30 Admission and welcome drink, opening of the exhibition
• 18.00 Welcome by Peter Scheidegger, Member of the Association Management SKO
• 6.10 p.m. Keynote speeches by Prof. Dr. Stephanie Kaudela-Baum, Head of CC General Management at HSLU and Prof. Dr. Christoph Negri, Head of IAP Institute for Applied Psychology Zurich
• 19.15 Panel discussion with Prof. Dr. Stephanie Kaudela-Baum, Prof. Dr. Christoph Negri, Marc Blindenbacher, Swisscom and Mathias Brenner, Sherpany, chaired by Sunnie Groeneveld
• from 20.00 Vernissage exhibition and networking aperitif

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There are many reasons why new managers fail to meet the usually high expectations placed on them or even fail in their new position. This is not always due to the suitability of the person. Often, the expectations of the new leader are not clearly communicated. Or the new manager does not correctly assess the framework conditions in the area and sets the wrong priorities.

When managers take on a new leadership position, they usually need new competencies and must expand existing ones. In addition, they have to demonstrate different leadership behavior in some cases due to the changed framework conditions. Therefore, when executives take on a new position, they should rethink their previous understanding of themselves and their roles and, if necessary, readjust their behavior.

One position but many (management) roles

When leading and controlling a company or an organizational unit, six roles must be distinguished - that of the leader, the manager, the entrepreneur, the expert, the visionary and the strategist (see chart 1):

Depending on the hierarchical level and organizational unit as well as the current situation, the importance of these roles for leadership success can diverge. Ultimately, however, every manager must combine them in his or her person to a greater or lesser extent.

The start is often decisive for success in the long term

In the case of management changes, it is advisable to provide coaching to accompany the change of staff - in other words, coaching that provides advice and support to the new manager when he or she takes up his or her new position and how he or she perceives it during the first 100 days or the first year. During the start-up phase, managers are confronted with many new and often surprising questions and challenges. At the same time, they are under particular scrutiny - from their superiors and employees: What is the new person like? How does he act? Can he be trusted and relied upon? That's why the start-up phase is usually crucial not only for the short-term but also for the long-term success of a manager.

A leadership transition coaching process includes the following steps:

• Step 1: Define guidelines for leadership work. In the run-up to the actual leadership change coaching, the coach discusses with the new manager (and ideally his or her supervisor) how the area should develop. For example, should primarily the existing processes be optimized or is a fundamental renewal necessary? The following applies: The greater the need for change, the more the guidelines have the character of a target image or vision, from which the manager must derive the necessary action strategies and steps, alone or with support.
• Step 2: Identify the role requirements. Once the guidelines are clear, it is important to reflect on which of the six leadership roles are particularly relevant for leading the organizational unit. For example, is "the new person" more in demand as an inspiring visionary, as a manager who empowers employees, or as a manager who consistently implements decisions? In addition, what expectations are placed on him or her in terms of agility, creative drive, change competence, etc.?
• Step 3: Analyze strengths and weaknesses. In the actual coaching, the following questions, among others, can then be worked on - also with test procedures:
  > Which leadership tasks or roles do I prefer and avoid?
  > What am I particularly good at, what should I get better at?
  >Where do I lack knowledge and/or experience?
• Step 4: Analyze opportunities and risks. In the next step, an analysis can then be made - based, among other things, on the challenges facing the area:
  > What opportunities and risks does the new management position offer?
  > What challenges will I face?
• Step 5: Develop leadership strategy. Afterwards, challenges as well as opportunities and risks of the new position can be compared with the strengths and weaknesses of the executive and appropriate action strategies can be derived - e.g. with the help of a SWOT analysis:
  > Which of my strengths can I use to seize opportunities?
  > Which minimize the risks
  > How should I enhance my leadership skills to take advantage of opportunities?
  > Which relevant leadership roles and tasks correspond least to my strengths? How can I possibly organize support for this?
• Step 6: Create a plan of action. Based on this, measures can be defined in coaching with the manager and initial steps for implementation can be developed. The action steps are on two levels: 
  personal level:
  > How can I expand my (leadership) competence and acquire new knowledge?
  > What helps me broaden my perspectives and scope of action?
  > Who can I get advice from?
  > What are my values? What do I stand for? How do I make this visible/experiential?
  organizational level:
  > What are the most important fields of action?
  > What changes need to be initiated? What are the first steps?
  > Which contacts should I make or expand?
  > How do I establish a good relationship with my employees? How do I gain their trust?
  > How do I win them over (in the medium term) for upcoming changes and do I take them into (joint) responsibility?

The leadership change coaching process is not a linear one. It takes place in loops in which the coach and the coachee, i.e. the person being coached, repeatedly go through and reflect on the above-mentioned steps as needed: Does the approach meet the company's requirements and the executive's development needs?

Showing the necessary behavioral confidence in everyday life

To ensure that the insights gained in coaching are successfully transferred to everyday management, further measures can be agreed with the manager in which the coach acts as a supporter. For example, a team workshop is usually a good prelude to

• Agree on shared values with the new employees,
• Agree on rules for cooperation and
• Tuning in to challenges.

However, the support provided by the coach should always be geared to the needs of the manager and the department or company so that the overriding goal of the coaching is achieved. This is to strengthen the executive's competencies in such a way that he or she can perform his or her leadership function professionally and successfully from the outset.

The likelihood of this happening is greatly increased by leadership change coaching, because it provides the executive with a reflection and sparring partner as well as impetus and advice in a phase in which he or she is usually still quite uncertain, but at the same time the focus of observation.

About the author:
Gudula Brammer holds a degree in education and is a certified coach (DBVC). She works as a consultant for Machwürth Team International, Visselhövede (www.mticonsultancy.com) with a focus on executive coaching as well as leadership and team development. Prior to that, she worked for several years in the personnel management of a media company in a consulting and management capacity.

Maximilian Schuster took over the Sales division at Dachser (Schweiz) AG, Air & Sea Logistics, on October 1, 2018. In his role as Sales Manager, he and his team look after international customers. Schuster reports directly to Samuel Haller, Country Manager Air & Sea Logistics Switzerland. He has held various positions at Dachser Air & Sea Logistics since 2005, first in Germany, then in the USA, and finally in Switzerland.

Dachser Spedition AG (Dachser Switzerland) is a subsidiary of the transport and logistics provider Dachser headquartered in Kempten, Germany. The first branch office in Switzerland was opened in 1967. Today, Dachser Switzerland is present at nine locations, employs 270 staff, and generated gross revenue of CHF 174.2 million in 2017. In 2017, Dachser Switzerland transported 580,500 consignments.

www.dachser.ch

The conference on October 4 in Bern focused on how technological developments can become a benefit for all. In addition to CSEM research and development experts, notable figures such as Peter Maurer, President of the International Red Cross (ICRC), Klaus Schönenberger, Director of the Essential Tech program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), and Arturo Vittori, Director of Warka Water, outlined the contours of a more balanced development path.

"The current technological acceleration would have you believe that anything is possible. However, there is a significant exception: that of a more just and peaceful world." Right at the start, Mario El-Khoury, CEO of CSEM and organizer of the "Technologies for a brighter world" conference, set the scene at the Hotel Bellevue in Bern. The goal of the event was to find new ways to make technology work for everyone. Inspiration was provided by numerous projects that are already underway.

Allowing the disadvantaged to participate in progress

"Unfortunately, I don't have only good news," warned Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC. In his speech, he showed the extent to which conflicts are becoming more complex and entrenched, putting more and more people in precarious living conditions. The former diplomat then showed a lesser-known side of the ICRC: the Red Cross is more than aware of the importance of technological advances for its work and its own scope for action. The organization actively embraces these opportunities in order to benefit from them as much as possible. Together with EPFL, for example, it is developing a new generation of prosthetic feet for victims of anti-personnel mines. The aim is to offer a prosthesis at an affordable price.

Of Big Data and Water Towers

The spectrum of "humanitarian" innovations is enormously broad. It ranges from a database to find missing people, to water towers made of bamboo presented by Arturo Vittori, director of Warka Water, to photovoltaic solutions or medical developments from the CSEM. For example, Biospectal, a start-up from Vaud, will use an invention from CSEM to monitor high blood pressure in the populations of Bangladesh, Tanzania and South Africa. This will make it possible to track this invisible disease using a smartphone application. Behind this seemingly simple application is a high-tech solution developed over a ten-year period at CSEM.

Switzerland is predestined to find new models

Development work must be thought of differently! This statement received broad support. EPFL's Essential Tech program supports promising experiments in this context. It has, for example, produced a start-up whose goal is to supply Africa with adapted X-ray equipment. The company, which is backed by both African and Swiss investors, also sees good business prospects for this in the Western world.

Because Switzerland holds all the cards to be a key player in the renewal of models for truly sustainable development. Not only is it at the forefront of innovation and the cradle of the Geneva Conventions, but it is also "a central financial center," recalled Peter Maurer. This, he said, is an indispensable factor in spreading technological advances more widely, improving the daily lives of those who need it most, and thus moving toward the fairer and better world so many hope for.

www.csem.ch

Bruno Aregger has a lot to tell. Due to seemingly "stupid" mistakes, he lost almost his entire fortune as the owner of an SME. He has written down his mistakes and the lessons learned from them in his book "The Good Spirit of Your Business".

Hidden Champions

A lot can happen, especially in the saturation phase of a company. For example, the urge for size is a source of entrepreneurial mistakes. "The more successful a company is, the greater the risk of falling prey to megalomania," writes Bruno Aregger. To prevent this from happening, he recommends taking a cue from so-called hidden champions. They present characteristics such as:

• They are quiet.
• They are inconspicuous.
• They are attractive, but relatively little known.
• They achieve good margins.
• They rarely have problems finding new employees.
• They are absolute specialists in one area (go into depth, not breadth).

Download audiobook now

Protection against megalomania is formed by an authentic value system. You can learn more about this in the chapter "The saturation phase", which can be found here as audio book for download ready

The Swiss job market has been growing almost unabated since 2015 - one sign that the economy is doing well. For example, the Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index is 6 percent higher in the third quarter of 2018 than it was in the fall of last year. Compared to last quarter, the index remains stable, up 2 percent. Adjusted for seasonal effects, there is an increase of only 1 percent compared to the previous quarter. Nicole Burth, CEO of Adecco Group Switzerland, adds: "Overall, the positive trend observed since the end of 2015 continues."

High demand for personnel in organizational and management professions

After the number of job advertisements in the occupations of management and organization (e.g. business, division, project managers, organization specialists) has risen sharply in the last three quarters, demand remains high in this quarter as well. Compared to last year's quarter, job postings in these professions have increased by 25 percent. "According to the report, Switzerland is currently investing in management and organization. The reason for this could be the increasingly interconnected and volatile business world, where project-based business processes and consequently trained personnel in the professions of management and organization are in demand," explains Jan Müller from the Job Market Monitor at the University of Zurich. "Since new projects often include an important digital component or are accompanied by automation, it is not surprising that the demand for IT personnel has increased at the same time," adds Nicole Burth. Thus, a year-on-year comparison also shows a remarkable increase in the number of job advertisements (+15%) in the IT professions (e.g. programmer, application developer, system engineer). Since the beginning of 2017, a positive trend has been observed in IT occupations. A year-on-year increase can also be observed in industrial and transport occupations (+12%). This quarter's increase is due in part to increased demand for skilled workers in the metal and electrical industries. As number 1 in the Global Innovation Index ranking[1], Switzerland is particularly innovative. Within Switzerland, innovation rates are particularly high in the areas of information and communications technology and the mechanical and electrical engineering industries, among others[2]. "These innovations give us an international competitive advantage, which favors the creation of new jobs in the professional groups of information technology and industry," adds Burth.

Lake Geneva region: peak reached?

Year-on-year growth in the number of job advertisements in the Lake Geneva region is again above average. In the third quarter of 2018, companies in this region posted 21 percent more job ads than in the third quarter of the previous year. However, after three consecutive quarters of above-average growth in personnel demand, a comparison with the summer quarter of 2018 (-1%) now shows that this trend will not continue, at least for the time being. In Eastern Switzerland (+9%) and Espace Mittelland (+8%), the number of advertised vacancies has also grown compared to the corresponding quarter last year. The other regions show only comparatively small changes in the number of job advertisements. The number of vacancies is comparatively stable in Northwestern Switzerland (+4%), Central Switzerland (+3%) and Greater Zurich (+1%).

Compared with the corresponding quarter in the previous year, the Lake Geneva Region demand in the industrial and construction occupations was particularly strong (+64%). This strong increase in industrial and construction occupations has been observed for more than two years. "The increase is partly due to the less strong franc. In the Lake Geneva region, labor demand in these occupations suffered particularly badly in the wake of the 2015 franc shock. However, with the strong increase over the past two years, personnel demand in the industrial and construction occupations has now caught up. In the meantime, the index of the number of vacancies has returned to a similar level as in other occupational groups," adds Jan Müller. The other occupational groups are also in greater demand in the Lake Geneva region: the occupational groups of engineering and IT (+29%), business services (+17%) and personal and social services (+10%) have all seen growth in job advertisements.

Boom Region Eastern Switzerland

In German-speaking Switzerland, demand for personnel in the Eastern Switzerland increased the most (+9%). "Eastern Switzerland reached its low point since the start of comparable measurement (end of 2014) at the beginning of 2016. Since then, the number of advertised jobs has recovered. It is now back at a similar level to the end of 2014," Müller elaborates. The increase in the number of job advertisements compared with the corresponding quarter in the previous year is primarily attributable in eastern Switzerland to an increase in demand for personnel in business services occupations (+16%) and in engineering and IT occupations (+12%).

Source: Adecco

Today, P&I is one of the most important and renowned companies in the HR industry in Europe and positions itself as a Pure HR Company with innovative software for all HR management tasks. In 2012 and 2015, the company significantly increased its market position in the Swiss HR and payroll software market with the acquisitions of Mirus Software AG and Soreco HR AG.

"Concentrated software expertise"

With its latest acquisition of Kriens-based PerSal AG, P&I, which has its Swiss headquarters in Thalwil, is adding an important piece of the puzzle to its current product portfolio in the market segment for companies with up to 500 employees, according to a statement to the media. It acquired the entire share package of PerSal AG as of Oct. 1, 2018. PerSal AG and PerSal Software will continue to operate as an independent company and brand, and the location and employees will be taken over unchanged by the new owners. Fritz Achermann will also continue to be the managing director and will continue the philosophy of PerSal Software as well as the support department, which is known for its quality and reliability, in the same way, the statement continues. "With the merger of P&I, we now have the possibilities to offer a comprehensive and integrated HR solution, in which the entire "HR Life Cycle" is mapped, from applicant management to time recording. Our whole team is delighted about this and we are looking forward to seeing how the Swiss HR market reacts to this concentrated software competence," Fritz Achermann announced on request. Christos Triadis, Managing Director of P&I AG in Switzerland, also draws a positive balance: "Through the acquisition of PerSal AG, we will further strengthen and at the same time significantly expand our position in the HR market." According to Triadis, this step represents a major gain for P&I AG.

Payroll Outsourcing

PerSal AG, which emerged from "Persoline AG", founded in 1994, has made a name for itself through its many years of market experience in the HR and Payroll sector, especially due to its flexible and highly customizable standard software "PerSal" as well as its modular Payroll outsourcing solutions. The Swiss branch of P&I, which was also founded in the 1990s, together with PerSal AG can count over 2200 companies among its HR and Payroll customers. Spread over 4 domiciles, P&I Switzerland employs 72 people. The two managing directors, Christos Triadis and Fritz Achermann, are convinced that the expanded product range and a newly introduced P&I LogaAll-in for Switzerland will be of great added value for existing and new customers.

More information: www.persal.ch

Swiss founders were busy at the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, 11,055 new companies were entered in the commercial register, and in the second quarter there were already 11,225 start-ups, 2.95% more than in the previous year.

August causes pause in start-up boom

The situation was different in the third quarter. A total of 9,704 new companies were registered in the Swiss commercial registers, compared with 9,999 last year. August in particular is responsible for the low figure; with only 2,913 startups, it was the weakest month of the year so far. In the fourth quarter, however, the commercial registry offices are likely to be busy again. Many new registrations are expected especially in December, because that is also when the most companies were registered in 2016 (4,121 registrations) and 2017 (4,200 registrations). This means that entrepreneurs can start the new year with a new company.

GmbH and management consulting

In the third quarter, founders opted for either a limited liability company (38,17%), sole proprietorship (32,23%) or joint stock company (20,24%). Other legal forms such as associations, general partnerships or cooperatives were thus chosen in less than 10% of the cases. The most popular industry was Business/Commercial Consulting with 751 new firms. This was followed by restaurants, cafes & snack bars with 431 startups and the sale and rental of apartments & real estate with 371.

Source: Moneyhouse