SwissInfo

Swiss firms struggle with acute staff shortages

With over 100,000 jobs listed as vacant in the first quarter of 2022, staff shortages are reaching record levels in Switzerland. Difficulties in recruiting are affecting both industry and service sectors, according to figures released at the end of May by the Federal Statistical Office. The hospitality sector is suffering badly, along with the high-tech sector. The shortages are also affecting healthcare, transportation, construction, logistics and the building trades. Even lorry-drivers are getting hard to find. “We are seeing a post-pandemic catch-up effect, with increased staffing needs in several sectors. At the same time, huge numbers of baby-boomers are retiring now, and this gap is hard to fill with only the new people joining the work force,” says Giovanni Ferro-Luzzi,  professor at the GSEM. Switzerland is still an attractive country to immigrants. But working conditions and pay are getting better in many parts of Europe, and the differences are starting to matter less.

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