Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2009	3.00	3.10	3.30	3.40	3.50	3.80	3.90	4.00	4.10	4.10	4.10	4.20
2008	2.60	2.50	2.50	2.50	2.50	2.50	2.50	2.50	2.60	2.60	2.70	2.80
2007	3.00	3.00	2.90	2.90	2.80	2.70	2.70	2.70	2.70	2.60	2.60	2.60
2006	3.60	3.50	3.50	3.40	3.40	3.40	3.40	3.30	3.20	3.20	3.10	3.10

Swiss Unemployment Remains at 11-year High
Published: 12/9/2009 10:59:30 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

Unemployment in Switzerland remained at an 11-year high in November as the impact of recession lingered in the jobs market despite a recent return to economic growth.

Swiss unemployment was stable from October at 4.1 percent when adjusted for seasonal factors, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said on Wednesday, holding at the highest level since April 1998.

The unemployment rate rose to a non-seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent in November from 4.0 percent the previous month, hitting the highest level since February 2004.

The Swiss economy pulled out of recession in the third quarter, growing by 0.3 percent thanks to solid consumer spending.

The Swiss National Bank is expected to stick to its ultra-loose monetary policy at its upcoming quarterly meeting on Thursday as doubts about the sustainability of the surprisingly quick recovery linger and deflation risks are not fully exorcised.

The unadjusted unemployment rate was in line with economists' expectations, while the adjusted rate of 4.1 percent was just below a forecast 4.2 percent.

Switzerland Economic News

Swiss Inflation Rises in December
Published: 1/7/2010 10:29:19 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

Switzerland still faces deflation risks, lower-than-expected inflation data showed on Thursday, as the economic recovery remained fragile, supporting views the Swiss central bank may stick to its loose policy for some time.

Swiss Exports Show More Signs of Recovery
Published: 12/22/2009 10:25:21 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

Swiss exports rose on the month in November as foreign demand improved in most sectors, adding to signs that recovery of the Alpine economy is gaining traction.

SNB Joining Central-Bank Exit
Published: 12/10/2009 9:31:44 AM By: TradingEonomics.com, Bloomberg

Switzerland’s central bank said it will stop purchases of corporate bonds as it joins other countries in starting to withdraw emergency measures.

Swiss Economy Pulls Out of Recession in Q3
Published: 12/1/2009 11:01:26 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

The Swiss economy pulled out of recession in the third quarter, growing by 0.3% compared to the previous three months, slightly better than expected.

Swiss Inflation Continues To Fall
Published: 11/6/2009 10:43:12 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, RTTNews

Switzerland's consumer price index or CPI fell 0.8% year-on-year in October, the Federal Statistical Office

Swiss Unemployment Highest in Over 4 Years
Published: 11/6/2009 10:40:06 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

Unemployment in Switzerland rose to 4.0 percent in October from 3.9 percent in September, hitting the highest level since February 2005 although economists said deterioration in the job market seems to be slowing.

Swiss Unemployment Rate Climbs
Published: 10/7/2009 9:47:35 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, AFP

Switzerland's unemployment rate climbed to 3.9 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent a month earlier, official figures showed Wednesday.

Swiss Inflation Falls in September
Published: 10/6/2009 9:44:48 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Reuters

Swiss consumer prices fell by 0.9 percent on the year in September as cheaper oil and fuel lowered the cost of living.

Swiss Trade Surplus Shrinks In August
Published: 9/22/2009 10:20:13 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Bloomberg

The Federal Customs Administration said Switzerland's trade surplus stood at CHF 1.79 billion in August, down from CHF 2.21 billion surplus in July, revised from CHF 2.35 billion reported initially.

More news

Unemployment Rate Definition

The labour force is defined as the number of people employed plus the number unemployed but seeking work. The participation rate is the number of people in the labour force divided by the size of the adult civilian noninstitutional population (or by the population of working age that is not institutionalised). The nonlabour force includes those who are not looking for work, those who are institutionalised such as in prisons or psychiatric wards, stay-at home spouses, kids, and those serving in the military. The unemployment level is defined as the labour force minus the number of people currently employed. The unemployment rate is defined as the level of unemployment divided by the labour force. The employment rate is defined as the number of people currently employed divided by the adult population (or by the population of working age). In these statistics, self-employed people are counted as employed.

Variables like employment level, unemployment level, labour force, and unfilled vacancies are called stock variables because they measure a quantity at a point in time. They can be contrasted with flow variables which measure a quantity over a duration of time. Changes in the labour force are due to flow variables such as natural population growth, net immigration, new entrants, and retirements from the labour force. Changes in unemployment depend on: inflows made up of non-employed people starting to look for jobs and of employed people who lose their jobs and look for new ones; and outflows of people who find new employment and of people who stop looking for employment.

When looking at the overall macroeconomy, several types of unemployment have been identified, including:
Frictional unemployment — This reflects the fact that it takes time for people to find and settle into new jobs. If 12 individuals each take one month before they start a new job, the aggregate unemployment statistics will record this as a single unemployed worker. Technological change often reduces frictional unemployment, for example: the internet made job searches cheaper and more comprehensive.
Structural unemployment — This reflects a mismatch between the skills and other attributes of the labour force and those demanded by employers. If 4 workers each take six months off to re-train before they start a new job, the aggregate unemployment statistics will record this as two unemployed workers. Technological change often increases structural unemployment, for example: technological change might require workers to re-train.
Natural rate of unemployment — This is the summation of frictional and structural unemployment. It is the lowest rate of unemployment that a stable economy can expect to achieve, seeing as some frictional and structural unemployment is inevitable. Economists do not agree on the natural rate, with estimates ranging from 1% to 5%, or on its meaning — some associate it with "non-accelerating inflation". The estimated rate varies from country to country and from time to time.
Demand deficient unemployment — In Keynesian economics, any level of unemployment beyond the natural rate is most likely due to insufficient demand in the overall economy. During a recession, aggregate expenditure is deficient causing the underutilization of inputs (including labour). Aggregate expenditure (AE) can be increased, according to Keynes, by increasing consumption spending (C), increasing investment spending (I), increasing government spending (G), or increasing the net of exports minus imports (X?M). {AE = C + I + G + (X?M)} (source: wikipedia)