Unemployment Rate

This is the indicator of the percent of unemployed persons in the labor force. The rate is released as both a seasonally adjusted and unadjusted figure. The seasonally adjusted number is a key indicator of Swiss labor market conditions, significant because of its timeliness and overall market impact.

High unemployment rate translates to lower average wages and reduced consumer spending. As consumer spending is the majority of total expenditure, rising unemployment often leads to slow economic growth. In addition, high or rising unemployment puts downward pressure on interest rates and leads to a depreciating Franc.

• Release Frequency: monthly.
• Release Schedule: 05:45 GMT, the first week of the month following the reporting period.
• Source: State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.