| Consensus | Consensus Range | Actual | Previous | |
| Adjusted | 3.1% | 3.1% to 3.1% | 3.1% | |
| Not Adjusted | 3.0% | 3.0% |
Highlights
Switzerland's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.1 percent in August 2026, matching the Econoday consensus estimate. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed barely rose, up 49 people from July, to 147,970.
The unadjusted unemployment rate also held steady at 3.0 percent. The number of unemployed rose by 2,268 people, or 1.6 percent, from July, to 141,544, up 7.1 percent from a year earlier.
Seasonally adjusted, the number of job seekers fell slightly, down 69 people, to 237,792, with the seasonally adjusted rate steady at 5.0 percent, while open positions fell 448, or 1.0 percent, to 42,749.
Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) rose sharply, up 2,384 people, or 19.4 percent, from July to 14,678, pushing the youth unemployment rate up 0.6 percentage points to 3.4 percent. Unemployment among older workers (ages 50-64) was little changed, down 62 people from July, with the rate steady at 2.7 percent.
By sector, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry's unemployment rate held at 3.5 percent, unchanged from July but up 0.3 percentage points from 3.2 percent a year earlier. The watch industry's rate eased to 5.5 percent from 5.6 percent in July, and down 0.7 percentage points from 6.2 percent a year ago — the sharpest annual improvement among the sectors tracked.
Market Consensus Before Announcement
Jobless rate expected flat at 3.1 percent.
Definition
The unemployment rate measures the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force. Both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted monthly data are provided.
Description
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.