Job Index Q2 2024

The job market is continuing to cool: secretarial staff and qualified nursing staff are less in demand

Zurich, 10 July 2024 – The Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index continued its downward trend in the second quarter of 2024. The number of job vacancies fell by 11 percent compared to the same quarter last year, making the situation increasingly similar to pre-pandemic figures. People in office jobs, such as secretaries, and health specialists, e.g. qualified nursing staff, are the most impacted by the drop in demand. This is shown by the Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index, a scientifically substantiated study conducted by the Adecco Group Switzerland and the University of Zurich’s Swiss job market monitor.

 This is shown by the Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index, a scientifically substantiated study conducted by the Adecco Group Switzerland and the University of Zurich’s Swiss Job Market Monitor.   

Vacancies for construction and development professions may have increased by 10 percent compared to the first half of 2023, but the number of vacancies has decreased by 4 percent compared to the second half of 2023. This indicates that the sharp trend of growth that this professional group has experienced since 2021 has ended for now.

This trend of growth was particularly sustained by vacancies for the subgroup of construction and development professions (e.g. joiners, roofers and refrigeration system engineers). However, the number of job adverts for these roles has been decreasing for the first time since the first half of 2021, after having reached an all-time high in the second half of 2023.

The subgroup containing electricians and electronics technicians (e.g. automation technicians, electronic technicians and lighting installers) is continuing its slightly downward trend of the past four half-years. The decrease in job adverts for construction and development specialists matches the current slow-down in the business environment in areas of the economy linked to construction, as the latest results of the KOF economy survey show. Nevertheless, the index for construction professions remains at a very high level.

Office specialists: vacancies fall by 20 percent

For graduate health professionals, the first half of 2024 marked a significant decline in vacancies for the first time in years. Compared to the first half of 2023, this professional group recorded a 19 percent decline in advertised jobs. All subgroups in this professional group are recording a decline in vacancies, but the qualified nursing staff group is particularly affected.

This development is even more notable because qualified nursing staff have recorded a continual increase in index values in previous years and, in the second half of 2023, these reached an all-time high. Therefore, one reason for the development could be that many hospitals have been reporting financial difficulties recently. For example, St. Gallen Hospital announced job cuts last autumn as part of a financial restructure, impacting qualified nursing staff and others.

Heiko Mauersberger, head of the Medical division at Adecco Switzerland, adds: "We observe that institutions are reducing their staffing levels due to increasing cost pressures. As a result, fewer job openings are offered in the healthcare sector, and certain services are limited."

Important: The decrease in job openings does not mean that there is no longer a shortage of skilled workers in this professional field. Rather, the shortage of qualified personnel in the healthcare sector is likely to persist. The decline in job openings means that employees have – for example – 8 job openings instead of 10 (these numbers are purely for illustration and should not be taken at face value).

Graduate IT professions: demand for IT specialists at its lowest level since 2016

Press Release

Job Index Q2 2024