Swiss Skills Shortage Index 2019
The skills shortage in Switzerland escalates further: engineering and technical occupations as well as positions in the fiduciary sector are particularly affected
Zurich, 28 November 2019 – The skills shortage increased further by +22% throughout Switzerland since 2016. The front runners in this year’s skills shortage ranking are engineering and technical occupations and the fiduciary professions. This was demonstrated by the Swiss Skills Shortage Index compiled by Spring Professional, a company from the Adecco Group Switzerland in collaboration with the Swiss Job Market Monitor of the University of Zurich. However, clear differences in the extent of the skills shortage can be seen between different occupational groups: while the main shortage lies in the engineering and technical professions, there is a distinct oversupply in other occupations, for example those related to cleaning, hygiene and personal care as well as in commercial and administrative occupations. When viewed on a regional basis, German-speaking Switzerland is suffering much more from the skills shortage than French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland.
The skills shortage index has risen in Switzerland: the situation in the occupations with the greatest skills shortages has deteriorated once again in comparison with the previous year. In 2019 companies therefore found it even harder to find suitable staff in these occupations than in the previous year. “Companies are fighting for the best professionals in the market and are making even more strenuous efforts to be up there with the most attractive employers,” adds Nicole Burth, CEO of the Adecco Group Switzerland.
The skills shortage ranking also demonstrates that in many occupations significantly more people are looking for a job than the number of vacancies advertised. However, the situation facing job seekers in most occupations with an oversupply of skilled personnel has somewhat eased compared with last year: the number of vacancies has increased in most cases, while the number of job seekers has decreased. “In the jobs at the bottom of the ranking where an oversupply of skilled staff still predominates, job seekers could still face problems finding a job and negotiating conditions of employment,” comments Helen Buchs of The Swiss Job Market Monitor.
Espace MittellandAcute skills shortage in engineering, technical and fiduciary occupations
Like last year, the number 1 position in the 2019 skills shortage ranking goes to the engineering professions. This occupational group includes structural and electronics engineers, for example. Technical occupations have moved from third place in 2018 to take the number 2 position in 2019. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians are included in this occupational group, for instance. Fourth place goes to IT specialists which covers analysts and programmers, among others. “What has been termed ʻupskilling and reskillingʼ of existing or newly recruited staff is playing an increasingly important role for companies: on the one hand by building on existing qualifications, for instance if a company supports a part-time electrical technician to qualify as a fully-fledged electrical engineer, or alternatively by means of a realignment of internal qualifications, for example by retraining or further development of staff on the job to take the skilled positions needed by the company,” underlines Luca Semeraro, Head of Professional Recruitment.
As last year, an acute shortage of skilled staff prevails in 2019 in the fiduciary occupations, which, for example, include auditors, trustees and tax consultants. Accordingly, this occupational group is ranked 3rd. Finding suitable staff for vacancies in this sector represents a major challenge at the present time. “Small companies are likely to have difficulty now in keeping up with the employment conditions, career opportunities and the working environment of the ʻbig 4ʼ. On the other hand the work-life balance is becoming increasingly important. Competition for trained fiduciary staff has redoubled,” tells Semeraro.
The skills shortage in the human medicine and pharmaceutical-related professions has intensified compared with last year as more jobs are being advertised now than in 2018. This shortage includes pharmacists and their assistants. “It has been evident for a long while that the number of trained medical staff is no longer keeping pace with the needs of our expanding health-care system. Demographic change is outpacing the training of the specialist staff needed in the medical sector. However, it must be said that there are opportunities to make working conditions more attractive here. Jobs in the health-care sector are particularly in demand,” comments Corinne Scheiber, Head of Professional Solutions.
The greatest oversupply of skilled workers is in the area of cleaning, hygiene and personal care
Occupations with low training requirements are particularly affected by the oversupply of skilled workers. Competition for jobs among job seekers in these occupations is therefore likely to be most fierce. “Demand for skilled staff increases in line with increasing educational and training requirements and specialisation. Continuous professional development is therefore worthwhile”, adds Buchs.
Jobs in cleaning, hygiene and personal care showed the biggest oversupply of skilled staff of all the occupational groups in 2019, and currently occupy the bottom place in the skills shortage ranking. This occupational group includes jobs in the dry cleaning and laundry sector, caretakers, hairdressers and beauticians. It has to be said that the ratio between advertised vacancies and job seekers is at the same low level as last year but this occupational group has nevertheless dropped one place in the ranking. This is because there has been a slight improvement in the situation among the other occupations at the bottom of the table at the same time that the oversupply has decreased somewhat. Nevertheless, these same occupations remain in the bottom positions in the ranking.
The position of third from the bottom of the ranking is occupied by jobs in the hospitality industry and housekeeping such as service and kitchen staff or housekeeping employees. This group has dropped one position in the 2019 ranking since last year. On the other hand jobs in the construction industry in 2019 have moved up one position and are now in 29th place. Typical jobs in this category include bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, plumbing technicians and electricians. In this case the oversupply situation has eased compared with last year as the number of vacancies has increased while the number of job seekers has decreased somewhat at the same time.
Jobs in the retail and sales sector (e.g. salesmen and -women or cashiers) are suffering from a serious oversupply (fifth from the bottom of the table). “In the retail trade we are seeing on the one hand a move to online sales, and on the other hand jobs previously taken in shops by staff are now being taken over by machines; this is particularly evident now in jobs related to handling cash. What this means for sales staff is that they must concentrate on activities which are less susceptible to substitution, for example advising and persuading customers,” comments Helen Buchs of the Swiss Job Market Monitor.
Another group of jobs with the largest surplus of skilled personnel is commercial and administrative occupations such as office jobs, civil service administrators or organisational specialists. These are second from bottom in the ranking. “Companies are taking advantage of the increasing opportunities offered by automation, digitalisation and outsourcing. Changes in work content and techniques are affecting many employees in this large occupational group. Further training and specialisation, particularly in digital skills, are urgently needed in order to keep pace with the progress of digitalisation,” comments Helen Buchs of the Swiss Job Market Monitor.
German-speaking Switzerland
In German-speaking Switzerland engineering and IT jobs occupy the two top places in the 2019 skills shortage ranking. Compared with last year, engineers have maintained their number one spot while IT specialists have moved up two places as the skills shortage for these two professions has become more severe. The fiduciary professions are at number 3 in the ranking, having dropped back one position compared with the previous year.
Cleaning, hygiene and personal care jobs figure at the bottom of the ranking, and the second from bottom is occupied by jobs in the hospitality industry and housekeeping, with positions in the construction industry one place above them. The oversupply situation in the construction industry has lessened somewhat compared with 2018 and has therefore pushed this group up one place in the ranking.
French speaking part of Switzerland
In these cantons technical staff head the skills shortage ranking in 2019. Second place is occupied by jobs in the fiduciary sector, with third place held by human medicine and pharmaceuticals. Thus the skills shortage situation in these occupations is comparable with the previous year and companies are likely to report problems in filling their vacancies with suitable candidates. In total, the skills shortage in French-speaking Switzerland is less marked than in Switzerland overall, which goes hand in hand with the comparably higher unemployment rate.
The bottom of the ranking is held by the commercial and administrative occupations, although the oversupply has shrunk a little compared with the previous year. In contrast, the oversupply situation for occupations in cleaning, hygiene and personal care has been exacerbated in comparison with last year. Compared with last year’s ranking, this occupational group has slipped two places and now occupies the second from bottom position in 2019.