Definitions

Absence rate

Formula: (655)

Activity rate

Formula: (167)

Actual hours worked

The term "actual hours worked" refers to the number of hours that employed persons devoted to their professional activities (i.e. actual hours worked = normal hours of work plus hours of overtime minus hours of absence). (644)

Collective Labour Agreement

A collective labour agreement is an agreement signed between one or more employer representatives (associations or companies) and one or more employee representatives (trade unions or workers' associations) in which the contracting parties establish, comprehensively or in part, salary structures and working conditions, plus relations between the contracting parties. (172)

Difficulties in personnel recruitment

Indicator intended to estimate recruitment difficulties experienced by secondary and tertiary sector establishments during the quarter under review. (668)

Domestic concept

The domestic concept describes the productive activity carried out on Swiss economic territory, regardless of whether it is performed by residents or non-residents. This concept can be used to demarcate the population in employment, jobs or even working hours. In practical terms, productive activity under the domestic concept covers activity carried out in Switzerland by the following groups: Swiss citizens residing in Switzerland, holders of a permanent residence permit, holders of a residence permit (including recognized refugees), cross-border commuters, holders of a seasonal work permit (this permit was discontinued on 1 June 2002), holders of a short-term residence permit, UE/AELE citizens who are engaged in paid employment (not self-employed) for a Swiss employer for a maximum of 90 days per civil year, asylum applicants, the staff of Swiss embassies and consulates and members of the Swiss naval fleet. In contrast, the activities of foreign embassies and consulates in Switzerland, the work of international civil servants in Switzerland and the activities of persons residing in Switzerland but working abroad are not included in the domestic concept. (656)

Economically active persons

The term “economically active persons” refers to employed and unemployed based on ILO definition. This concept is also expressed in economic terms as “labour supply”. (166)

Economically inactive persons

The term “economically inactive persons” refers to people who are not in the labour force and therefore cannot be considered as either employed or unemployed based on ILO definition. (636)

Employed persons

The term “employed persons” refers to all persons aged 15 and over who, during the reference week:

• worked at least one hour for payment


• or who, although temporarily absent from their work (due to illness, holidays, maternity leave, military service, etc.) had a job in an employed or self-employed capacity


• or who worked in the family business without payment.

This definition covers the following, irrespective of the place where this work is done (in a company/business, at home or in another private household): employed persons, self-employed persons, persons working in family businesses, apprentices, recruits, junior officers and officers who, while undergoing basic or further military training, retain their jobs and employment contracts, school pupils and students who work in parallel with their studies, and retired persons who continue working. People who only do housework in their own households, assist others free of charge, or carry out other voluntary activities are not regarded as employed persons.
(See also related concept: "jobs") (168)

Employment outlook

The term “employment outlook” refers to a set of indicators used to predict the job situation in the secondary and tertiary sectors for the next quarter. (669)

Employment rate

Formula: (169)

Fringe benefits

According to Eurostat, “Fringe Benefits” are “gross wages and salaries in kind”, i.e. goods and services made available by the enterprise or local unit to the employees. They are composed of the following elements:

• products manufactured by the enterprise,
• any other product or service provided free or at a reduced price,
• housing,
• company cars (for the personal use of employees),
• indirect social benefits paid for by the employer: subsidised canteen and luncheon vouchers, cultural, sports and recreational facilities, crèches and kindergartens, compensation for transportation between home and work, shopping cooperatives, contributions to trade union funds, payments to works councils, etc. .

Eurostat: Statistical Office of the European Communities. Eurostat bases itself on the current European System of Accounts (ESA 95) definition. (889)

Full-time equivalents (FTE)

The term “full-time equivalents" refers a conversion of volume of work (measured in terms of the number of jobs or the number of hours of work) to full-time jobs. The number of full-time equivalents is determined by taking the total number of hours worked and dividing this total by the average number of hours worked in a full-time job. (639)

Gross transitions between employment, unemployment and economic inactivity

Gross transitions reflect the transition from an (initial) status to another (final) status over a certain period. Measuring gross transitions between employment, unemployment and economic inactivity produces a distinction between nine different groups of persons (employed persons who have become unemployed based on ILO definition, employed persons who have become economically inactive, employed persons who have stayed in employment, unemployed based on ILO definition who used to be employed, etc.). (648)

Hours of absence

The term “hours of absence” refers to the number of normal hours of work in which a person was not at his place of work due to illness, accident, maternity leave, military or community service, civil defence, reduction of working hours, labour dispute, personal or family reasons and bad weather.
Employee holidays, public holidays and time off work made possible by flexible working schedules are not considered as hours of absence. (646)

Hours of overtime

The term “hours of overtime” refers to paid or unpaid hours

• worked over and above the normal workweek, and


• which are not compensated for by time off in the course of the year.

(645)

Jobs (filled)

The term “jobs” refers to all positions of employment that are filled. While largely covering the same concept, "jobs" and "employed persons" do not always coincide, given that an employed person may hold several jobs. In such cases, the employed person holds one primary job and one or more secondary jobs.
(See also related concept “employed persons”) (165)

Labour demand

The term “labour demand” refers to the total quantity of labour required by employers. Also referred to as “job base”. (164)

Labour shortage and surplus

A business with a labour shortage is one reporting that it has problems recruiting staff, while a business with a labour surplus is one reporting that it has surplus staff. (817)

Labour supply

The term “labour supply” refers to the total quantity of labour offered by employed and unemployed persons. Also referred to as “economically active persons”. (171)

Labour supply and demand

Overview: (878)

Labour-market flows

Overview: (650)

Major regions

Lake Geneva region: Vaud, Valais, Geneva
Central Plain: Bern, Fribourg, Solothurn, Neuchâtel, Jura
Northwest Switzerland: Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau
Zurich: Zurich
Eastern Switzerland: Glarus, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St.Gallen, Graubünden, Thurgau
Central Switzerland: Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug
Ticino: Ticino (657)

Normal hours of work

The term “normal hours of work” refers to the number of hours decided upon in the employment contract. In the case of self-employed persons, this figure corresponds to the number of hours usually devoted to their professional activities. Hours of overtime and absences do not have an impact on normal hours of work. (643)

Overtime rate

Formula: (654)