Switzerland is experiencing an acute shortage of qualified personnel in the fields of engineering, natural sciences, and information technology
According to Swissinfo.ch, this is indicated by the results of the Professional Specialist Deficit Index for 2018, compiled by the Swiss international company Adecco (Adecco Group Switzerland) in collaboration with the Job Market Monitor of the University of Zurich.
In this annual index, the number of available vacancies in various professions is compared with the number of citizens seeking work. Over the past year, this indicator increased by 9% for professions in engineering and natural sciences and by 8% for professions in information technology, where companies struggle to recruit enough qualified personnel. In the financial and fiduciary services sectors (e.g., provided by auditors), a shortage of specialists is also noted, but overall the situation remains stable.
In the healthcare sector, the level of personnel shortage rose above the average, continuing the trend of the last two years. Across Switzerland, there is primarily a shortage of doctors, and in German-speaking Switzerland, there is also a shortage of qualified midwives and nurses. It is easier to find staff for nursing and home social work.
Companies can address these gaps by improving recruitment practices and offering more attractive salaries. Helen Buchs from the Job Market Monitor of the University of Zurich says: “If companies still fail to fill vacancies, they will be forced to start searching for qualified specialists abroad. In the long term, companies can succeed by increasing investment in training and further professional education for their current and potential future employees.”
Sectors with an excess of job applicants include the hotel industry and personal services. There, candidates significantly outnumber published vacancies. “The relatively high staff turnover in these professions leads to increased competition among specialists,” says Helen Buchs.