Swiss unemployment as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) reached 5.6% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 5.1% a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published the figure on 12 November 2026, based on its Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS). The number of people in employment is still rising, by 0.5% year on year, but by only 0.1% in full-time equivalents (FTE).

How many unemployed people does Switzerland have in the third quarter of 2026?

According to the FSO press release, Switzerland had 288,000 people unemployed as defined by the ILO. That is 27,000 more than in the third quarter of 2025.

Employment is holding up in headcount terms: 5.387 million people in work, 0.5% more than a year earlier. The volume of work, measured in FTE, gains only 0.1%.

The employment rate of 15 to 64-year-olds fell from 79.8% to 79.2%. Converted into FTE, it went from 67.8% to 67.2%.

From one quarter to the next, the signal is clearer. After seasonal adjustment, the number of people in employment fell by 0.3% between the second and third quarters of 2026, and the number of FTE by 0.4%. The adjusted unemployment rate rose from 5.1% to 5.3%.

ILO unemployment rate or SECO rate: why 5.6% and 3.0%?

The two figures do not measure the same population. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) counts the jobless registered with the regional employment centres (RAV), the AWP news agency points out in its dispatch published by Allnews on 12 November 2026.

The ILO uses a different definition. A person is unemployed if they have no job, have looked for work during the previous four weeks and are available to work, the FSO explains.

SECO therefore publishes a much lower rate. According to its press release of 5 November 2026, 141,015 unemployed people were registered in October 2026, for a rate of 3.0%, unchanged from the previous month. Adjusted for seasonal variations, this rate holds at 3.1%.

Yet both measures point in the same direction over one year. SECO counts 5,803 more registered unemployed than in October 2025, an increase of 4.3%. The number of jobseekers, a broader notion, reaches 230,001, for a rate of 4.9%.

According to AWP, it is the ILO rate that allows international comparisons. The SECO rate, for its part, depends on registrations with Swiss RAV.

Has the rise in unemployment accelerated over the past year?

The unadjusted ILO rate varies with the seasons, so it is compared with the same quarter of the previous year. The FSO press releases of February, August and November 2026 all show a year-on-year increase.

QuarterILO rateSame quarter a year earlierSeasonally adjusted rateUnemployed as defined by the ILOFTE year on year
Fourth quarter 20255.0%4.4%5.1%256,000+0.1%
Second quarter 20264.9%4.6%5.1%252,000+0.6%
Third quarter 20265.6%5.1%5.3%288,000+0.1%

These figures come from the FSO press releases of 17 February, 18 August and 12 November 2026.

The adjusted rate gives the steadiest reading. It stood at 5.1% at the end of 2025, at 5.0% in the first quarter of 2026, then at 5.1% in the second quarter. The move to 5.3% in the third quarter is therefore the clearest increase since the start of 2026.

Employment is following the opposite path. In the second quarter of 2026, it was still growing by 0.8% year on year, and FTE by 0.6%. In the third quarter, these increases fell to 0.5% and 0.1%.

Two readings therefore coexist. Over one year, Switzerland still has more people in employment. From one quarter to the next, once seasonal effects are removed, it is losing them, and the volume of work is falling more than the number of people in work.

How does Switzerland compare with the European Union?

ILO unemployment is also rising among its neighbours, and Switzerland remains below the European average. In the European Union (EU), it went from 6.0% to 6.2% over one year, according to the FSO.

Country or areaThird quarter 2025Third quarter 2026
Switzerland5.1%5.6%
European Union6.0%6.2%
Germany3.9%4.2%
France7.9%8.4%
Italy5.6%6.5%
Austria5.5%6.1%

The gap with the EU is narrowing, however. In the second quarter of 2026, Switzerland posted 4.9% against 5.9% in the EU, where the rate had remained stable. In the third quarter, it is 5.6% against 6.2%.

Germany is the only neighbour whose rate remains below Switzerland's. Its gross domestic product grew by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the Destatis flash estimate presented in our article on Germany's GDP. Its ILO unemployment nevertheless rose from 3.9% to 4.2%.

Italy saw the sharpest increase among the neighbours, from 5.6% to 6.5%. In the second quarter of 2026, its rate had by contrast fallen, from 6.5% to 5.9%.

What does this rise change for households and businesses in Switzerland?

Job openings are not falling year on year. In October 2026, 40,462 vacancies were reported to the RAV, according to SECO, 5,467 more than a year earlier (+15.6%). Month on month, however, they fell by 3,737.

Other SECO indicators remain contained. In August 2026, 2,718 people exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefits, 285 fewer than in July. Short-time work affected 7,068 people in July 2026, down 15.5% month on month. These two series are published with a lag of two to three months.

Several recent announcements are also weighing on the Swiss labour market. Telecoms operator Sunrise confirmed on 23 October 2026 job cuts at Sunrise, numbering 358. Credit insurer Allianz Trade expects a record number of bankruptcies in Switzerland, around 15,000 in 2026. This is a projection, partly inflated by the new insolvency law.

Companies remain cautious about hiring. Chief financial officers surveyed by the consultancy Deloitte see weak hiring despite their economic optimism. Many believe that artificial intelligence will reduce the number of jobs, especially entry-level ones, as noted in our analysis of the Swiss economy barometers. These employment signals already dominated our figures of the week to 28 October.

For households, the rise in unemployment coincides with inflation of 1.5% year on year in October 2026, according to the FSO. Excluding fuel and fresh and seasonal products, price growth was limited to 0.5%, as shown in our figures of the week to 4 November.

What we do not know yet

  • The breakdown by region and by sector: the FSO press release of 12 November 2026 details neither the major regions nor the sectors affected.
  • The most affected profiles. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the FSO broke down unemployment by age, education and nationality; the rate for 15 to 24-year-olds then reached 8.9%. The press release for the third quarter of 2026 does not provide these breakdowns.
  • Long-term unemployment, which affected 88,000 people at the end of 2025 according to the FSO: its level in the third quarter of 2026 does not appear in the press release.

Sources