Swiss job seekers are extremely adaptable
Lifelong learning as a maxim: Most job seekers in Switzerland want to further develop their skills - significantly more than in neighboring countries.
Almost three quarters (72%) of Swiss job seekers expect to develop their skills over the course of the next twelve months. This is the highest level since the index began at the end of 2014. Confidence is particularly high in German-speaking Switzerland, where it stood at 77% compared with 71% in French-speaking Switzerland. This is shown by the PageGroup Confidence Index, a quarterly study that measures and compares the confidence of job seekers in various European countries.
Swiss jobseekers between the ages of 30 and 50 form the largest group on the labor market. Among them, the percentage is 75%. It was thus higher than in neighboring Germany (71%), France (69%) and Italy (55%).
Older job seekers also confident
Swiss job seekers over 50 are also significantly more confident than in neighboring countries, according to the study. More than half (58%) expect to develop their skills over the next twelve months. Job seekers over 50 in German-speaking Switzerland are significantly more confident about the future development of their own skills (63%) than their counterparts in French-speaking Switzerland (56%).
Lifelong development
According to Xavier Chauville, Executive Director at Page Personnel, "the changing nature of the Swiss economy and the increasing complexity of each industry reinforces the 'lifelong learning' approach already promoted by the education system in Switzerland. That's why we strongly recommend that our candidates take every opportunity to develop their skills and take advantage of internal training opportunities, even in their day-to-day work."
The PageGroup Confidence Index measures job seekers' confidence in the following countries in continental Europe: Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Po-len, Holland, Sweden and Belgium. The study measures job seekers' confidence in finding a new job, belief about the duration of the job search, reasons for changing jobs, and expectations about working conditions and the economic environment. The survey has been conducted in Switzerland since July 2014 and in continental Europe since January 2016. Candidates who have applied for a job advertised on the Michael Page or Page Personnel website are recorded online. The data basis for Continental Europe is formed by quarterly responses from at least 13,000 candidates, 900 of whom are in Switzerland. The study is evaluated on a quarterly basis.
Source: PageGroup