Increasing numbers of 55-64-year-olds are working in Switzerland

A gray-haired woman on her computer

(08.06.2022) People aged 55 to 64 in Switzerland are more active in the workforce than they were ten years ago. From 2011 to 2021, the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) showed a 5.9 point increase to 75.8% in the activity rate for this age group.

Between 2011 and 2021, the overall labor force activity rate of the Swiss population (15-64 years) increased by 1.6 percentage points to 83.7%. However, this is a decline from the rates seen in 2019 (84.3%) and 2020 (84.1%). For those aged 55-64, a slight year-on-year decrease was also observed (-0.7 percentage points compared to 2020).

With an activity rate of 87.5% for men versus 79.7% for women, the gender gap remains significant, although it has declined by 3.7 points since 2011. More than half of the women (57.5%) work in part-time positions, which is nearly four times higher than for men (15.5%).

The percentage of part-time workers in the male labor force, however, increased by 3.8 percentage points between 2011 and 2021. Women are 28.7 percent more likely to work part-time to care for children and 19.9 percent for other family or personal obligations. Among men, most part-time employment is due to training (19.3 percent), with childcare cited in only 10.3 percent of cases.

Of those employed part-time, 9.6% engage in job sharing, where two people work in one position on a rotating basis. The sectors most affected by this practice are education and accommodation and catering.


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Last modification 08.06.2022

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