November

The KOF Economic Barometer falls for the second time in a row in November. With a level of 99.1 points, the Barometer is now slightly below its long-term average again. For the Swiss economy, the fairway is becoming slightly more difficult.

KOF continues to expect healthcare spending in Switzerland to rise by 3.8 per cent this year. This growth will edge up to 3.9 per cent in the next two years. The causes of this healthcare spending increase are rising wages and the growing proportion of elderly people. These are among the findings of the twice-yearly KOF Healthcare Expenditure Forecast, which has been compiled with the help of research funding provided by comparis.ch.

The KOF business situation is barely any different in October compared to the previous month. This means that the business situation of Swiss companies has not changed significantly since July of this year. Optimism on the part of companies regarding future business trends has fallen back slightly. The Swiss economy is continuing to ride high, although with slightly less of a tail wind.

The KOF Employment Indicator has steadied at a fairly high level. Having reached 5.8 points in the third quarter, it currently stands at 5.1 points. The Indicator shows that the Swiss companies surveyed by KOF in October are, on the whole, planning to create further jobs.