20 minutes – Unemployment rate did not move in September

The number of unemployed registered with the Regional Offices of Placement (ORP) in Switzerland remained below the 100,000 mark in September. The unemployment rate remains unchanged at 2.1%, a historically low level for the fourth month in a row.

The State Secretariat of Economy (Seco) announced Tuesday a total of 99'098 unemployed at the ORP during the month coul, 454 less than in August. On a year, the decline is 7% (-7488 people).

The global economy has changed significantly in recent months. But this had only a small impact on the labor market in Switzerland, said Boris Zrcher, Head of the Labor Division at Seco, in a press conference.

The Economy Secretariat is even slightly lowering its forecasts for the year, with an average unemployment rate of 2.3%, compared with 2.4% in the latest estimate. If this expectation is accurate, it would be the lowest average rate since 2001. Last year, the average was 2.5%.

Meets expectations

The slight decline in one month in September is due to young people aged 15 to 24 (-3.7% compared to August). Among seniors (50 to 64 years old), the number of people touched has hardly budged.

The figures are in line with the forecasts of the economists consulted by AWP, which predicted a rate of unemployment between 2.1% and 2.2% in September (and 2.3% on a seasonality / CVS basis, as announced by Seco ).

The differences between language regions remain the same as in August: 1.8% unemployment for the Almanic part of the country and 3% for the Latin side.

By cantons, the hierarchy is not surprised, with the Palms of occupation Obwald (0.6% unemployment) and Nidwald (0.7%), and, at the other end of the scale, a rate of 3.8% for Geneva. The Jura, Vaud and Neuchtel are 3.3%, Valais 2.1%, Freiburg 2.3% and Ticino 2.5%.

All registered job seekers last month had 171,423 people (1574 compared to August, but 7076 less than twelve months earlier). Non-unemployed jobseekers are those who are registered with the RFOs but who – unlike the unemployed – are not immediately available for placement or who are employed.

Moreover, 3028 people had then their rights to the indemnities in July (ends of right), specifies the Seco. Partially unemployed during the same month 744 people, a decrease of half compared to June. But Seco is planning an increase in the coming months, given the evolution of the industry. Compensation for partial unemployment, recalls Seco, has a stabilizing effect on the labor market.

(Nxp / ats)