Employment and unemployment
Switzerland has around 4.5 million employed people (as of third quarter 2008, excluding cross-border commuters and short-term residents), two million of whom are women. The labour force participation rate (people in or seeking as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over) is 68.2 %, which is the second-highest in the whole of Europe. Foreigners account for 27 % of the employed population. One-third of employed people work part-time, and the number is rising. 57 % of women work part-time, compared to just 13 % of men. Switzerland has consistently had low unemployment, which has remained between 1 % and 4 % over the past ten years.
Swiss workers are highly qualified – in 2008, 32 % had a higher education degree. Switzerland is famous for its multilingual employees, and Swiss managers have more international experience than average. In terms of worker motivation, the Swiss rank second only to the Danish. Swiss employees are very loyal to their companies, partly because most firms are small or medium-sized.
International comparison of worker motivation (2010)
1 = low, 10 = high
Source: 2010 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook
International experience (2010)
1 = low, 10 = high
Source: 2010 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook