Swiss jobless rate rises in March, only small coronavirus impact so far
[ZURICH] The Swiss unemployment rate rose to 2.9 per cent in March, from 2.5 per cent in February, as the government's efforts to avoid new coronavirus-related layoffs with a shorter working hour scheme seemed to be paying off so far.
The Alpine country, were 584 people have died of Covid-19 respiratory disease so far and almost 22,000 tested positive, has closed shops, restaurants and bars throughout the country to keep a lid on infections.
The number of registered unemployed increased to 135,624 in March, from 117,822 in February, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said on Tuesday.
A quarter of Switzerland's workers, around 1.3 million people, had been put on shorter hours at the end of last week, the government said on Saturday.
REUTERS
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
Oil prices steady after Iran plays down reported Israeli attack
G7 pledges swift aid for Ukraine, seeks to calm Middle East
H5N1 strain of bird flu found in milk: WHO
China moves to boost foreign investment in domestic tech companies
Xi orders China’s biggest military reorganisation since 2015
Warner Bros CEO earned US$49.7 million in strike-impacted year