Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Certain sectors and regions of Switzerland have acute need for employees; good news about the economy; and more in our roundup on Thursday.
Switzerland's labour shortage: some sectors have more than 10,000 job openings
While many industries suffer from scarcity of skilled employees, some are worse off in this regard than others, according to the Swiss job market anaylser, x28.
For instance, 15,790 positions must be filled in the health sector — primarily nurses and aides — while the construction branch needs 13,566 additional employees.
The retail sector ranks third, with 12,761 open positions, followed by restaurants and hotels, where there are currently 10,478 vacancies.
In terms of regions, Zurich and Bern have 55,113 and 37,939 open positions, respectively.
Aargau is next (20,350), followed by St. Gallen (18,178) and Lucerne (17,021).
READ ALSO: Why is Switzerland's chronic labour shortage worsening?
Switzerland’s economy expected to thrive in 2024
Swiss economy will continue to grow much faster this year than other European countries and the United States, experts say.
Having recovered well from the Covid pandemic, Switzerland is experiencing fast growth that few other nations have managed to achieve.
And even faced with challenges such as the pandemic, war in Ukraine, inflation, as well as the fall of Credit Suisse, the Swiss labour market and economy as a whole have demonstrated remarkable resilience.
READ ALSO: Why does Switzerland defy economic downturns better than its neighbours?
Another price hike went into effect this week
Along with higher health insurance premiums, electricity rates, rents, public transport costs, and other increases, sending out letters and parcels is now more expensive as well.
From January 1st, Swiss Post has raised its prices as follows:
- A standard ‘A Mail’ (priority) letter now costs 1.20 francs — 10 cents more than previously.
- The price for a ‘B Mail’ letter is also 10 cents higher: 1 franc instead of 90 cents it cost in 2023.
You can see the new prices for parcels and other postal services here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Switzerland's labour shortage: some sectors have more than 10,000 job openings
While many industries suffer from scarcity of skilled employees, some are worse off in this regard than others, according to the Swiss job market anaylser, x28.
For instance, 15,790 positions must be filled in the health sector — primarily nurses and aides — while the construction branch needs 13,566 additional employees.
The retail sector ranks third, with 12,761 open positions, followed by restaurants and hotels, where there are currently 10,478 vacancies.
In terms of regions, Zurich and Bern have 55,113 and 37,939 open positions, respectively.
Aargau is next (20,350), followed by St. Gallen (18,178) and Lucerne (17,021).
READ ALSO: Why is Switzerland's chronic labour shortage worsening?
Switzerland’s economy expected to thrive in 2024
Swiss economy will continue to grow much faster this year than other European countries and the United States, experts say.
Having recovered well from the Covid pandemic, Switzerland is experiencing fast growth that few other nations have managed to achieve.
And even faced with challenges such as the pandemic, war in Ukraine, inflation, as well as the fall of Credit Suisse, the Swiss labour market and economy as a whole have demonstrated remarkable resilience.
READ ALSO: Why does Switzerland defy economic downturns better than its neighbours?
Another price hike went into effect this week
Along with higher health insurance premiums, electricity rates, rents, public transport costs, and other increases, sending out letters and parcels is now more expensive as well.
From January 1st, Swiss Post has raised its prices as follows:
- A standard ‘A Mail’ (priority) letter now costs 1.20 francs — 10 cents more than previously.
- The price for a ‘B Mail’ letter is also 10 cents higher: 1 franc instead of 90 cents it cost in 2023.
You can see the new prices for parcels and other postal services here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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