Advertised Jobs for IT Specialists Boom into 2020

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Zurich/Geneva, 18 December 2019. According to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index, IT Specialists led the monthly growth in advertised jobs with an industry average of 2.4% (November – December 2019) and 16.0% year-on-year growth (December 2018 – December 2019). Demand was particularly strong for software specialists and testers, SAP specialists as well as in IT support and administration.

Across Switzerland, advertised jobs declined -3.3% between November and December and grew 8.4% on an annual basis. The German-speaking region, which accounts for 9 out of 10 advertised jobs, recorded a monthly growth decline of -3.2% and an annual growth rate of +8.5%. This compared with

-4.3% and +7.4% respectively in the Swiss Romande. The monthly decline is in line with the seasonal trend for businesses to minimize recruitment activities during the holiday period.

Winning Job Categories	Monthly Growth (Nov. 2019 – Dec. 2019)	Year-on-Year Growth (Dec. 2018 – Dec.2019)
Software Testers	+9.0%	+4.2%
Software Developers and Managers	+3.4%	+13.0%
SAP IT Specialists	+3.1%	-0.7%
IT Support Specialists	+2.7%	+34.9%
Programmers	+2.6%	+12.5%

Growth in advertised jobs was also strong for scientists – especially chemists, researchers and laboratory specialists.

“With strong growth across many areas there is every reason to be positive about the demand for specialists in 2020”, said Nicolai Mikkelsen, Executive Director, Michael Page.

Strong Annual Regional Growth

All regions showed postive annual growth rates, led by canton Zurich (+13.5%).

Regions	Monthly Growth (Nov. 2019 – Dec. 2019)	Year-on-Year Growth (Dec. 2018 – Dec. 2019)
Central (LU, NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG)	-1.0%	+8.3%
North (AG, BL, BS)	-2.5%	+7.4%
Zurich (ZH)	-2.9%	+13.5%
Lake Geneva (GE, VD, VS)	-4.2%	+10.6%
Mid (BE, FR, JU, NE, SO)	-4.2%	+5.6%
East (AI, AR, GL, GR, SG, SH, TG)	-4.7%	+7.5%

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). PageGroup 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.