The term “jobs" refers to all positions of employment that are filled. While largely covering the same concept, “jobs" and “employed persons" do not 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")
Statistical sources
Job Statistics:
The definitions and results of the Job Statistics were adapted in 2015 to conform with the OASI/STATENT statistical population. A job is counted for every person who carries out a professional activity in an enterprise and who is subject to compulsory contributions to the old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI). Jobs are counted in enterprises according to four categories of work-time percentage and also in terms of full-time equivalents. The statistics cover economic branches in the secondary and tertiary sectors, excluding the “Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel" section.
Calculated in March, June, September and December of the reference year.
Structural Business Statistics:
Employment is defined as paid economic activity, either in a company or as a self-employed person and that is subject to old-age and survivors' insurance contributions (OASI) starting from a certain wage threshold (set at CHF 2300). Employment in agriculture is recorded without an income threshold, based on data from the farm census and the farm structure survey. A person with several employment contracts has several jobs as long as the employment contracts are with different companies. However, if the person has several employment contracts with the same employer, they are only recorded as having one job.
Calculated in December of the reference year.
Swiss Federal Business Census and Farm Structure Survey:
Calculated in January of the reference year.
