Monthly jobless rate increases further
The rate of unemployment in Switzerland rose to 4.5 per cent in January, up from 4.4 per cent in December, which was the highest level since 1998.
The number of jobless increased by 3,025 on the month to a total of 175,765.
Compared with January 2009, the number of unemployed in Switzerland rose by 36.9 per cent, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) on Monday.
The number of 15- to 24-year-old jobless grew by one percentage point in January and by 40 per cent over the entire year.
Seco added that the number of jobseekers – which includes those in training and on temporary wage subsidies - was up 1,098 on the previous month and now stood at 236,317.
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