Deindustrialization continues in Switzerland
Despite internationally recognized universities, innovative strength and rising economic output, Swiss industry is losing ground in the job market every year. This is confirmed by the latest Swiss Engineering Index.
The progressive deindustrialization of Switzerland is reflected in the fact that, despite a very good economic situation, Switzerland has been losing the equivalent of 4,000 full-time jobs in the industrial sector every year for the past six years. In 1991, the industrial sector provided 35% of all jobs, today it is still 25%. Since then, 230,000 industrial jobs have disappeared. Currently, according to SECO, over 57 professions in Swiss industry have an unemployment rate of over 8%.
Deindustrialization shows in the labor market
Nevertheless, demand for engineers continues to rise, as the Swiss Engineering Index© shows. Recruitment activity for engineering positions in the service sectors continues to increase, in contrast to the industrial sector. However, the shift in their jobs from the industrial sector to the service sector continues. In relation, Switzerland was listed as the most innovative country for the seventh time in the Global Innovation Index (Cornell University, INSEAD, WIPO). Nevertheless, the country slipped from first place to fifth place in the ranking of the most competitive nations, according to the WEF The Global Competitiveness Report 2018.
Serious shortage of skilled workers
The shortage of skilled workers is particularly severe in the engineering professions, as a study published by Swiss Engineering and economiesuisse on May 8, 2017 explained in detail. On the one hand, this is attributed to an insufficient number of engineers trained in Switzerland, and on the other hand to the rapidly changing requirements for engineering know-how, which can lead to a discrepancy between sought-after and available profiles. While there has been a partial surplus in industry, the shortage of skilled engineers in the service sector is coming to a head.
Swiss Engineering Index
The Swiss Engineering Index© is published by Swiss Engineering STV in cooperation with dynajobs AG every six months, each time supplemented with a focus on currently interesting developments in the job market for engineers. With around 13,000 members, Swiss Engineering is the authoritative professional network for engineers and architects throughout Switzerland.
Source: Swiss Engineering
