No. 120, July/August

In June 2018, the KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private economy lost some ground after having risen substantially in the preceding month (see G 9). All in all, the Business Situation Indicator has changed little since the beginning of 2018. Although the economic situation in Swit-zerland continues to be favourable, businesses are failing to make up further ground.

Nowadays, the buzzword ‘digitalisation’ is on everybody’s lips. A growing number of studies is researching the question which professions may be threatened by digitalisation and where new jobs could be created. The debate pays little attention to the impact of digitalisation on the quality of existing jobs. A survey among graduates of higher technical colleges (HF) shows that digitalisa-tion generally increases satisfaction among the respondents.

Total investment in Switzerland continues to rise in 2018, as shown by the results of the semi-an-nual KOF Investment Survey. Surveyed companies intend to increase investment activities by around 8% this year. A significant part of the planned investments will be funnelled into the expan-sion of existing capacities.

‘Unemployment in Switzerland drops to 2008-levels’ - headlines like this have done the rounds after the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) presented its latest unemployment figures at the beginning of the month. Regrettably, however, the situation on the labour market is not (yet) as rosy as it was in early 2008. The new unemployment figures are not comparable with the historic figures.