Swiss Job Seeker Confidence trails Germans but ahead of French, Austrians and Italians

Zurich/Geneva 26 July 2016 – According to the PageGroup Confidence Index (April – June 2016), Swedish candidates are the most confident (65%) about their professional future followed by Germany (63%). Swiss job candidate confidence is slightly higher than the European average (51% vs 49%), ahead of its’ neighbours Austria (48%), France (41%) and Italy (34%).

The study shows that job candidates in Switzerland have adjusted their expectations in line with the transformation in the Swiss economy, which began with the “Franken Schock”:
  • Half (50%) expect to have greater job responsibilities - 53% in the German speaking region vs 48% in the Swiss Romande.
  • Two thirds (65%) expect a diminished work-life balance. Candidates under 30 are most confident on this measure across continental Europe, but those in Switzerland are the most pragmatic with only 38% expecting an improvement compared with 48% in Germany.
  • The majority (58%) do not expect to obtain salary increases over the next 12 months compared with 55% over the same time last year.
  • Job seekers in Switzerland are more likely to be looking for a job in order to gain new skills - 41% compared with the average of 37% across Europe - rather than other factors such as increased salary levels.
  • Almost half (47%) expect to find a job within 3 months, which is significantly higher for the same period last year (38%) and more than the European average (45%) for Q2 2016.
The confidence of job seekers in Switzerland showed significant differences according to gender, age and region:
  • Men are more confident about the economic outlook for the next 6 months – 67% of men expect the situation to improve compared with 59% of women.
  • Candidates under 30 are most confident about finding a job within 3 months and increasing their salary levels:
- 63% of candidates under 30 expect to find a job within 3 months, compared with 45% of candi-dates 30-50 years old and 38% of 50+ candidates.
- 59% of candidates under 30 expect to increase their compensation levels over the next 12 months, compared with 41% of candidates 30-50 years old and 30% of 50+ candidates
 
  • Swiss Romande candidates are more confident about finding a job within 3 months than candidates in the German speaking region:
- 55% of candidates in the Swiss Romande expect to find a job within 3 months - a 38% increase year on year.
- 40% in the German speaking region expect to find a job within 3 months – a 9% increase year on year.
According to Xavier Chauville, Executive Director, Page Personnel (part of the PageGroup), “Younger candidates are particularly confident about their value on the job market and this is reflected in their confidence levels. They have the conviction to be able to find, at least, the same role and salary with an-other employer. However, their expectations (e.g. work-life balance, training, salary) remain reasonable as they are fully aware they will work longer and harder”.
PageGroup Confidence Index
The PageGroup Confidence Index measures the confidence of job seekers across continental Europe including Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. The study measures job seekers’ optimism about finding a new job, the likely duration of their job search, expectations about their professional circumstances and the economic environment as well as reasons for changing their jobs. It has been running in Switzerland since July 2014 and across continental Europe since January 2016. The study is conducted online, with candidates who have actively applied for a job via the Michael Page and Page Personnel websites. The study covered over 13,377 respondents in continental Europe in Q1 and 15,723 in Q2, including a minimum of 900 respondents from Switzerland each quarter. The study results are reported quarterly.
PageGroup
PageGroup is a worldwide leader in specialist recruitment which is listed on the London Stock Exchange (Stock Symbol: PAGE). Founded in 1976, it has been active in Switzerland since 2001 and operates through three key brands: Page Executive (executive search), Michael Page (middle to senior management) and Page Personnel (graduate and skilled employees). PageGroup has 152 offices worldwide including its’ three Swiss offices in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne.