The pandemic has had more impact on cantons such as Valais and Graubünden due to their dependence on tourism. Unemployment was also higher in French-speaking Switzerland.
In Ticino, a canton hard hit by the Covid-19 epidemic, one in two workers claimed compensation for a reduction in working hours (archives).
KEYSTONE / Pablo Gianinazzi
The mountain regions, Valais and Graubünden at the head, are more affected by the coronavirus crisis than the rest of Switzerland because of their strong dependence on tourism. French-speaking Switzerland is also distinguished by an increase in unemployment.
This emerges from economic evaluations of regiosuisse, a regional development platform in Switzerland, carried out on the mandate of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). At the national level, economic forecasts forecast a 6.7% drop in GDP in 2020. But certain sectors of activity and certain regions suffer more than others.
The industry is directly affected by the crisis. The latest import and export figures indicate a historic collapse.
Exports fell 11.7% in April. The largest losses were recorded by the jewelry and watch sectors, which each fell by more than 70%. Imports fell even more sharply, falling 21.9%.
Catering and accommodation
Services are likely to suffer even more. This includes retail, gastronomy, culture, leisure, hotels and travel.
According to SECO estimates, the figures show that in April, many of these sectors suffered a drop in value added from 80 to almost 100%. Over the whole year, the decline will remain significant, in the range of 15 to 35% in the most affected sectors such as accommodation and food services.
Mountain regions are the hardest hit. Reason: tourism provides on average more jobs in these areas than elsewhere in Switzerland. In addition, the branch structure in mountain regions is comparatively less diverse. Valais and Grisons are thus at the top of the list of the most affected cantons.
Work reduction
The crisis is not limited to the sectors directly targeted by the restrictions of the Federal Council. The number of claims for reduced working hours has reached a record high. For the month of April, almost 40% of jobs (or 1.9 million workers) in Switzerland were in demand.
However, claiming or granting compensation does not mean that the companies concerned actually put their employees on short-time work, but only that they could do so. The compensation actually paid will only be known in the coming months. The fact remains that the cantons have been affected in various ways.
In Ticino, the canton which has taken the strongest measures against the spread of the coronavirus, the proportion of jobs affected by short-time working is almost 50% for April. Construction, commerce and catering are concerned.
In the Jura (47%), the industries most affected by the fall in export demand are watchmaking and metallurgy. Industry and construction are also strongly affected in the canton of Neuchâtel (47%).
Rising unemployment
Unemployment figures have also increased. At the end of April, it was noted that 3.3% of the Swiss working population, or 153,000 people, were registered with an ORP, against 2.3% a year earlier. Mountain regions are unsurprisingly showing above-average increases.
French-speaking Switzerland also posted a higher increase than in German-speaking Switzerland, especially in the construction sector. This may be linked to the decision of Geneva and Vaud to close the sites at the height of the crisis.
((ATS / NXP)
Posted today at 3:03 p.m.-
