In March the number of jobless increased by 3,330, up 2.7 percent, pushing the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate up a tick to 2.8 percent. At 2.9 percent, the unadjusted jobless rate was steady compared to February, but up 0.5 percentage points from a year ago.

The number of vacancies fell a seasonally adjusted 2,692, down 6.2 percent from the previous month to 40,484. Compared to a year ago, vacancies ticked up by 0.3 percent to 42,350, a modest gain of 117.

At the same time, the number of jobseekers increased to 206,462, up 2.2 percent from a month ago, but up an unadjusted 19.1 percent from a year ago to 212,390. Those looking for jobs comprise 4.5 percent of the labor force, up 0.1 percentage point from last month when adjusted for seasonal factors.

The Swiss job market remains stable overall and there are no imminent signs of an upswing in joblessness.

The unemployment rate measures the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force. Both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted monthly data are provided.

Like the employment data, unemployment data help to gauge the current state as well as the future direction of the economy. Employment data are categorized by sectors. This sector data can go a long way in helping investors determine in which economic sectors they intend to invest.

By tracking the jobs data, investors can sense the degree of tightness in the job market. If employment is tight it is a good bet that interest rates will rise and bond and stock prices will fall. In contrast, when job growth is slow or negative, then interest rates are likely to decline - boosting up bond and stock prices in the process.