According to data from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), 106,957 people were registered as unemployed at the end of April 2024, 1,636 (-1.5%) fewer than in the previous month, taking the rate from 2.4% to 2.3%. However, unemployment remained higher (+0.3 percentage points) than it was at the same time in 2023.
At the end of April 2024, youth unemployment (2.0%) and unemployment among those aged 50-64 (2.2%) were lower than the average (2.3%). The worst affected age group was those aged 25-49 (2.6%).
People in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland were worse affected (3.3%) than German-speakers (2.0%), men (2.4%) were worse off than women (2.2%) and foreigners (4.4%) were harder hit than Swiss nationals (1.5%). Unemployment is a major issue amoung Ukrainian refugees. Only 24% of this group were working at the end of April, something the federal government is currently focused on addressing.
Unemployment figures published by SECO do not show the whole picture. They only include those registered with the unemployment office. When unemployment insurance payments end after two years of unemployment many decide not to remain registered, something required to receive insurance payments. During February 2024, an estimated 1,951 job seekers exhausted their two-year entitlement to unemployment insurance payments. Over time, the number of people in this situation accumulates, however it is not captured in the SECO unemployment figure.
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SECO article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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