It’s actually good news: unemployment in Switzerland is at record lows. In September, the unemployment rate fell below two percent. That was last more than 20 years ago.
For example, the canton of St. Gallen recently reported that the number of job seekers had fallen by 27.5 percent or 3,214 people at the end of September compared to the previous year. “The number of job seekers has been lower than ever in the past ten years,” says the responsible St. Gallen agency. Unemployment in Zurich also stood at 1.6 percent at the end of September, the lowest level in more than 20 years. In Bern it was 1.4 percent. At the end of September, 89,526 people were still registered as unemployed at the regional employment offices (RAV).
60 jobs in Bern to be cut
But the low numbers are now leading to layoffs and job losses at the RAV itself. When asked, the canton of Bern says: “The pleasant drop in the number of job seekers in the RAV centers has a direct impact on the number of our personnel consultants.” In concrete terms, this means that the canton will cut 60 full-time jobs there next year. A spokeswoman for the Office of Unemployment Insurance in Bern confirms this to Blick.
In a first step, terminated positions and people retiring are deducted from the relevant positions. These will no longer be replaced. The rest of the reduction will be done through job cuts.
In St. Gallen you can manage without layoffs for the time being. But also HR consultants who quit their jobs will no longer be replaced here, says Karin Jung, head of the Office for Economics and Labor at the “Tagblatt”. In this way, it is hoped that letters of resignation can be avoided. The canton of Zurich also announced on request that the necessary positions would be eliminated in time due to natural fluctuations.
RAV relies on temporary workers
The cantons are reimbursed by the Confederation for the integration of job seekers into the labor market. However, this compensation depends on the number and quota of job seekers registered with the RAV. In concrete terms, this means: “If unemployment rises, we will hire additional staff, and if the number of job seekers falls, we must cut our workforce,” said Jonas Motschi, head of the Solothurn Office for Economics and Labour.
Therefore, he continuously follows the current trend in unemployment figures and medium-term forecasts. Both hiring additional staff and reducing jobs is not easy. “In the first case, we are dependent on the skilled labor available on the labor market. In the second case, we have to look at how we can say goodbye to people.” That is why you work with fixed-term employment contracts or do not replace departure if you are in a “slimming phase”.