Annual Statistics
swissstaffing publishes annual statistical reports covering key indicators for developments in the temporary recruitment sector, based on figures obtained from Seco or SUVA surveys and supplemented by swissstaffing estimates. We generally update the figures in the summer of the following year.
Swiss temporary recruitment agencies are an economic force to be reckoned with on the Swiss labor market. Temporary workers play a huge role in adding value and ensuring that Switzerland remains competitive thanks to their flexibility.
However, the figures for recruitment agencies hide much of the complexity of their operations. Every single day, temporary work allows people to move from unemployment to work or from a temporary job to a permanent job. Many temporary workers also value the opportunity to work flexibly according to their needs. The temporary recruitment sector therefore builds bridges in the labor market and ensures that the pool of domestic labor is used to its fullest.
Sources and methods
Seco carries out an annual survey of all companies with a permit to deploy temporary staff, asking how many temporary workers they have employed and how many hours these workers have worked in total, with questions on gender and nationality. Participation is obligatory for all of the companies in question, making it a comprehensive survey.
Seco follows a similar procedure to survey all companies with a permit to place permanent staff, asking them for details of the number of permanent placements made within a calendar year. Participation is again mandatory for these companies.
Temporary recruitment agencies in Switzerland are legally obliged to take out accident insurance policies with SUVA, and the latter reports the wage bill insured on an annual basis. For the purpose of risk premiums, SUVA makes a distinction between office staff (insurance class 70C B) and operating staff (70C A). SUVA also calculates the number of occupational accidents per 1,000 temporary workers (in FTEs). Based on the figures from Seco and SUVA, swissstaffing estimates the sector’s turnover and the number of temporary workers in relation to the total number of people in employment.
The Seco and SUVA figures are calculated independently of each other and are based on entirely different surveys, meaning that they cannot be used to derive the average wage; since SUVA surveys fewer companies than Seco, the figure obtained would be a significant underestimate. The outcomes of our study «Temporary work» provide further information in this respect.
