The requirement to register job vacancies with Regional Employment Centres (RAV) came into effect on 1 July 2018. Which small and medium-sized businesses are affected? What do they need to do?
Following the acceptance of the popular initiative against mass immigration in February 2014, the Swiss parliament took the decision to introduce a job registration requirement, thereby encouraging the employment of available labour in Switzerland.
Entry into force
As of January 1, 2020, the unemployment rate is subject to a threshold of 5%.
How it works
The employer’s vacancy announcement must contain the following information:
- details of the qualifications sought;
- a job description;
- the type of contract proposed: open-ended or fixed-term contract;
- the level of employment;
- the start date;
- the job location;
- the name and address of the employer.
Employers can submit this information to a Regional Employment Centre (RAV) quickly and easily online through the ‘work.swiss’ portal. Vacancies can also be registered by email or by phone. The addresses and telephone numbers of Regional Employment Centres (RAV) can be found under work.swiss and the online submission form under work.swiss/registration.
Employers may not advertise the job vacancy for a period of five working days. This period is considered to begin on the first working day after the job advert appears in the area of the ‘www.work.swiss’ portal reserved for job seekers registered with the RAV.
The RAV forwards any suitable applications to the employer within 3 working days.
Lastly, the employer must provide the following information to the RAV:
- shortlist of candidates invited for an interview or an aptitude test;
- names of candidates hired after an interview.
Exceptions
It is not necessary to register jobs with the RAV if they are filled by:
- a person who is changing position within the company and who has worked there for at least 6 months;
- a family member of a person authorised to sign on behalf of the company; (older or younger generation, but not brother or sister)
- a person hired for a maximum of 14 days;
- a job seeker registered with a RAV.
Source: internet site of work.swiss (2022). State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Labour Market/Unemployment Insurance Division (2022)
