Study shows contradictions in the Swiss labor market

SECO's official unemployment rate remains at a low level of between 1.8% and 2.2%. And the labor shortage rate (including those who have dropped out of the labor force and the underemployed) is also at a record low of just under 10%. In other words, on paper and in terms of the numbers, things look good for employees. Employers, however, are having a hard time,
to find suitable skilled workers. So what's going on there? Because one would actually have to assume that a liberal market would regulate such imbalances itself. However, "there are phenomena in the Swiss labor market that are obviously contradictory and not easy to understand," says von Rundstedt CEO Pascal Scheiwiller, co-author of the study that examined precisely these contradictions.

The eight phenomena that were the focus of the study:

1) Polarization between winners and losers: Some are in demand, others are rejected. The parallelism of a shortage of skilled workers and structural unemployment is coming to a head. (Agreement in survey 63%)

2) No desire to work and yet burnout: More people work less, and few people work more. The self-fulfillment of some thus takes place at the expense of others. (Agreement in survey 67%)

3) Unending growth spiral: Growth provokes a shortage of skilled workers and further labor immigration, which continues to drive quantitative growth. This spiral does not bring us qualitatively further. (Agreement in survey 67%)

4) Productivity dilemma of the shortage of skilled workers: more demands from employees, but less willingness to perform. This is how labor productivity in Switzerland is going down the drain. (Agreement in survey 61%)

5) Industry cult: The digital transformation actually requires a high degree of flexibility and mobility between professional profiles and industries. However, lateral entrants still have a hard time. Employers show a strong industry belief. (Agreement in survey 70%)

6) Purpose and individuality: Everyone is looking for purpose. However, most people are not concerned with sustainability, but with self-purpose and self-fulfillment. (Agreement in survey 73%)

7) Would-be entrepreneurs: Our hypothesis was that many young entrepreneurs today do not pursue a long-term strategy and that their primary concern is not social contribution but self-fulfillment and financial interests. We were obviously wrong about that. (Agreement in survey 46%)

8) Age dilemma: The old should work beyond retirement age to alleviate the demographic bottleneck and the shortage of skilled workers. The only problem is that no one wants to hire them. (Consent in survey 71%)

With the exception of would-be entrepreneurs, all other phenomena are confirmed by a clear majority. When asked about the need for action, HR managers and executives see the highest urgency in the work dilemma, polarization and work-lust and burnout.

The survey produced a few more surprising findings:

Risk groups and the weaker are hardly supported by employers

82% of the companies do not have any recruitment or integration programs for risk groups such as older workers 60+, partial IV recipients or women after longer maternity leave. In personnel development, too, the focus is on high performers and high potentials. Pascal Scheiwiller: "Companies prefer to invest in high performers and high potentials."

Healthcare and public administration as part-time champions

There are large differences in part-time work between industries. The most part-time jobs are found in healthcare (38.7% part-time workers) and public administration (38.4%). Bringing up the rear is industrial production with only 12.9% part-time workers. Pascal Scheiwiller: "The public sector has definitely arrived among the attractive employers."

Stress load and pressure as "courant normal

Despite part-time trend, stress levels are growing. On average, 28% of employees are permanently overloaded. At 34% of companies, more than a third of employees are in the "red zone" and under stress. But only 37% of employers are specifically addressing this. Pascal Scheiwiller: "Companies know about the increasing stress situation, but do nothing about it."

Quantitative growth does not make us better and happier

For 67% of the respondents, quantitative growth such as employee, sales and profit growth does not have a positive impact on working conditions and employee satisfaction. Pascal Scheiwiller: "There are more and more companies, namely 37%, that consciously opt for a strategy of qualitative growth."

Industry cult in Switzerland - unworthy of an innovation location

A majority believe that applicants from within the industry generate more value for the company in the short term (74%) and even in the long term (61%) than lateral hires. 67% of employers mandatorily require industry experience (as a must-have criterion) when recruiting. Only 32% of the companies have targeted measures for the recruitment and industry training of lateral entrants. Pascal Scheiwiller: "Despite the shortage of skilled workers and the need for mobility, lateral entrants have a hard time in Switzerland."

Working longer is not very popular

Despite demands from academia, politicians and employer representatives, only 44% of respondents think it is good and right to work beyond retirement age. Only 25% of the companies offer concrete programs to this end. Pascal Scheiwiller: "In principle, only those who have to for financial reasons work longer. Social necessity is not relevant for the individual."

Age disadvantages on the labor market are a reality

A majority of 56% see the difficulties already at the age of 50, another 27% only at the age of 60. This clearly shows that despite the pressure on the labor market, employers find it difficult to rely on older workers. Pascal Scheiwiller: "Everyone talks about working longer, but in reality many people over 55 have a hard time finding a new job. That's hard to bear for those affected."

Source: www.rundstedt.ch