Switzerland Jobless Rate Steady at 3%

Switzerland’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.0% in September 2026, unchanged from the previous two months. The number of unemployed people fell by 1,064 from a month earlier to 140,480. Across the cantons, the largest decreases were recorded in Zürich (-355), St. Gallen (-224), Aargau (-204), Freiburg (-185), and Waadt (-147). The drop in unemployment was limited to the industry (-548) and services (-546) sectors. The jobless rate among young people aged 15 to 24 edged down to 3.3% from a five-and-a-half-year high of 3.4% in August, with the number of unemployed youth falling by 332 to 14,346. The unemployment rate for workers aged 50 to 64 also ticked lower to 2.6% from 2.7%, as the number of unemployed people in this age group decreased by 201 to 38,482. Registered job seekers rose by 466 to 44,199. Seasonally adjusted, the jobless rate was unchanged at 3.1% for the fifth month in a row.

Switzerland’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.0% in August 2026, unchanged from the prior month. The number of unemployed people rose by 2,268 from a month earlier to 141,544. Unemployment rose across most cantons, with the largest increases recorded in Waadt (+879), Genf (+365), Zürich (+347), and Aargau (+193). The rise in unemployment was concentrated in the services sector (+1,895), particularly in health and social services. The jobless rate among young people aged 15 to 24 rose to 3.4%, the highest since March 2021, from 2.8% in July, with the number of unemployed youth rising by 2,384 to 14,678. The unemployment rate for workers aged 50 to 64 was steady at 2.7%, with the number of unemployed people in this age group falling by just 62 to 38,683. The number of registered job seekers edged up by 48 to 227,248, while reported job vacancies fell by 1,423 to 43,733. Seasonally adjusted, the jobless rate was unchanged at 3.1% for the fourth month in a row.

Switzerland’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.0% in July 2026 from 2.9% in the previous month. The number of unemployed people increased by 1,525 from a month earlier to 139,276. Across the cantons, the largest increases were recorded in Zurich (+372), Bern (+356), and Vaud (+236), while Aargau (-119), Graubünden (-44), and Jura (-17) posted the biggest declines. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 edged up to 2.8% from 2.7%, with the number of unemployed youth rising by 473 to 12,319. The number of registered job seekers increased by 1,409 to 227,200, while reported job vacancies fell by 2,088 to 45,156. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1%.