Zurich/Geneva, Wednesday, 21 August 2019. While many people were on vacation, the race for sales people began in earnest. According to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index, demand for sales specialists outpaced all other major job categories with +14.6% year-on-year growth (August 2018 – August 2019) and a monthly growth of +3.7%. Across Switzerland, advertised jobs declined by -5.0% between July and August, which is a typical seasonal decline during the peak of the summer holiday season. On an annual basis (August 2018 – August 2019), the rate of growth in advertised jobs reached +6.9% nationally.
Industry Specialists Sought
“The most highly sought-after salespeople are those with specialist industry or technical skills, for example in the pharmaceutical and IT sectors. Top sales specialists can expect to receive multiple offers”, said Nicolai Mikkelsen, Executive Director, Michael Page.
Winning Job Categories | Monthly Growth | Year-on-Year Growth |
| +3.7% | +14.6% |
| +1.7% | +8.8% |
| +1.8% | +3.6% |
| +1.1% | +8.3% |
| +1.1% | +13.6% |
Strong Year-on-Year Regional Growth
Year-on-year growth in the German-speaking region and Swiss Romande increased; with the Swiss Romande leading the way with a +15.7% increase compared with an annual rise of +5.5% in the German-speaking region. The German speaking region, which accounts for 9 out of 10 advertised jobs, experienced a monthly decline in advertised jobs of -5.0%. The level of advertised jobs in Swiss Romande declined by -5.3% between July and August.
The East Region showed the strongest results with an annual growth rate of +16.3% and a monthly decline in advertised jobs of -2.0%. Advertised jobs in all regions showed a monthly decline over the holiday period, but grew on an annual basis – with the exception of Zurich (-0.6%).
Regions | Monthly Growth | Year-on-Year Growth |
East (AI, AR, GL, GR, SG, SH, TG) | -2.0% | +16.3% |
Zurich (ZH) | -4.5% | -0.6% |
Lake Geneva (GE, VD, VS) | -5.6% | +12.8% |
Central (LU, NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG) | -5.8% | +2.6% |
Mid (BE, FR, JU, NE, SO) | -6.0% | +5.3% |
North (AG, BL, BS) | -6.1% | +6.3% |
Michael Page
Michael Page is a leading brand of the PageGroup, one of the world's pre-eminent professional recruitment consultancies. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (“PAGE”), PageGroup was established in Switzerland in 2001. The Michael Page team works closely with its clients to identify and place the best candidates for management positions. It also collaborates with PageGroup’s other operational brands to ensure that all client needs are met. This includes Page Personnel (graduates and first level specialists), Page Executive (senior and executive management) and Page Outsourcing (solutions for high-volume hiring). Page Group has more than 141 offices worldwide including three Swiss offices in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne.
Michael Page Swiss Job Index
The Michael Page Swiss Job Index measures the number of advertised vacancies on company sites throughout Switzerland. Introduced in January 2012, the Swiss Job Index provides a unique, comprehensive overview of the Swiss labour market and the most important monthly trends.
Media Contact:
C-Matrix Communications
Vicki Tanner
Michael Page is a brand of “Michael Page International (Switzerland) SA”.
