Jobless rate drops to four per cent
The Swiss unemployment rate fell more than expected in April to four per cent of the working population, compared with 4.2 per cent in the previous month.
Figures published on Friday by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) showed there were 158,570 people without a job at the end of April. This is 7,462 fewer than at the end of the previous month.
Employment offices registered 223,804 people looking for work, 7,693 fewer than at the end of March. The number of jobs available rose by 329 to 17,294.
“We recently changed our forecast, expecting now an average jobless rate of 4.1 per cent for 2010 compared with our previous forecast of 4.8 per cent,” said Credit Suisse analyst Fabian Heller.
“Vacancies have risen and the number of job seekers is down, pointing to a further stabilisation of the labour market.”
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