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Working in Switzerland: A weekly roundup of the latest job news

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Working in Switzerland: A weekly roundup of the latest job news
Home office or Vladivostok? Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

Find out all the latest information related to jobs in Switzerland with The Local's weekly roundup of employment news.

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Good news on the job front

In the second quarter of 2021 (April to June), the number of jobs in Switzerland rose by 0.6 percent in comparison with the same quarter in 2020, according to new data released by the Federal Statistical Office (OFS) on August 26.

This increase is mainly due to growth in the tertiary sector.

“The Swiss economy counted 24 300 more vacancies than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (+39.7%). The employment outlook is also indicating an upward trend (+4%)”, OFS said.

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Is a four-day work week a good idea?

This concept is being discussed in Switzerland as a less stressful alternative to a full, five-day week.

But whether or not it would actually foster a better work-life balance is not clear.

That depends on whether companies adapt their work processes, economists say. Without adjustments, a four-day week could lead to more stress than if one worked five days, according to organisational psychologists.

Another factor to be considered is the salary.

The idea behind the four-day week is to work less for the same wage. That also means that employees have to work more efficiently.

All in all, unless a proper infrastructure is in place, a shorter work week could “create an additional burden for employees”.

What does ‘teleworking’ actually mean in Switzerland?

The definition of ‘home-work’ or ‘home office’ means just that: instead of coming to the workplace, employees work from their homes.

But this is not always the case.

It turns out that during the home-working requirement earlier in 2021, numerous employees of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) worked from abroad, including in far-away places such as Vladivostok, a Russian port city on the Sea of Japan.

Apparently, this particular employee “regularly logged into the SBB system and received Swiss wages, while sitting on the other end of the world”.

And this trend was widespread, the company says.

Since this was discovered, SBB is now allowing teleworking within Swiss borders only. The only exception to this rule are cross-border workers.

READ MORE: ‘Home office’: Will the pandemic change the way Switzerland works?

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Did you know... most job-seekers don't know how to write a CV

Out of 3,269 CVs reviewed by Aequivalent, a company specialising in background checks of job candidates, only 43 percent of Swiss applicants were fully compliant with their audits. Half of the files were inaccurate, and 7 percent contained false declarations.

Overall, the French-speaking Swiss were more honest than applicants from the German-speaking part.

Not sure how to write a Swiss CV? This link will help:

EXPLAINED: How to write the perfect Swiss CV

Useful links

Looking for a job in Switzerland or just want a little more information about working here, then check out the following links. 

EXPLAINED: What are your chances of getting a job in Switzerland from abroad?

Reader question: Can cross-border workers get vaccinated in Switzerland?

Four tips to make sure you nail Switzerland’s quirky office culture

Jobs in Switzerland: Which sectors have been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic?

The jobs roundup is new addition and we’d welcome any feedback or suggestions for areas it should cover. Please email us at [email protected]

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