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Jobless rate of foreigners declines in February

Malcolm Curtis
Malcolm Curtis - [email protected]
Jobless rate of foreigners declines in February
Photo: Canton of Vaud

Swiss unemployment dropped in February for the first time in seven months led by a reduction in the percentage of expats out of work, government figures released on Friday show.

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Overall, the jobless rate last month remained unchanged from January at 3.5 percent but 149, 259 people were registered as unemployed, 4,001 fewer than in the previous month, the state secretariat for economic affairs (Seco) said in its monthly report.

The unemployment rate of foreigners dipped to 6.9 percent from 7.1 percent, the report said.

The rate for Swiss nationals remained unchanged at 2.4 percent.

For non-Swiss, the jobless level remained higher than a year earlier when the rate was 6.7 percent, while the overall rate was slightly higher than the 3.4 percent recorded in February 2013, the figures show.

The number of registered job seekers also fell in February, dipping by more than 2,800 to 209,934, Seco said.

None of the country's 26 cantons recorded a higher unemployment rate in February, with levels unchanged from the previous month in eight cantons, including Zurich (3.5 percent).

Neuchâtel registered the highest rate (5.7 down from 5.8 percent), while Obwalden and Nidwalden boasted the lowest rate at 1.1 percent.

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