Unemployment has fallen to its lowest level for nearly 10 years, with the jobless rate dropping to 1.8 per cent at the end of June.

Figures released by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs show that 65,962 people were jobless in June, 3,826 fewer than the previous month when unemployment stood at 1.9 per cent.

The head of the Secretariat's labour division, Jean- Luc Nordmann, believes that the decline in unemployment will slow down over the coming months. He says there may even be a slight increase in November and December, citing seasonal factors linked to the reduced activity in the hotel and construction sectors.

Nordmann said the monthly average of unemployment should hover around the 70,000 mark for the year as a whole.

Only five Swiss cantons are now registering unemployment rates above the two per cent mark. They are Geneva, Vaud, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Basel City.

Geneva remains by far the canton with the highest unemployment rate. It stands at 4.3 per cent of the working population.

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