News 
A first for over 50 years: in 2023, the industry’s workforce grew again along the same lines as the previous year, reaching a new peak of 65,237 employees, 4,414 more than in the previous period (+7.3%). These are the figures announced by the Employers’ Association of the Swiss Watch Industry in its annual census of the sector.
This result reflects the favourable momentum of the luxury market, as well as the strong demand for entry-level watches, particularly in the first half of the year.
After prioritising the hiring of personnel for production facilities in 2022 in order to serve the markets, the emphasis this time has been on strengthening administrative staff. This is a recurring pattern during positive periods. Following a decline in recent years, the number of staff in this category climbed significantly, by 17.9% (+2,680 employees). Production personnel numbers also continued to grow, albeit more moderately and probably held back by a shortage of skilled labour, with 1,588 new positions (+3.2%).
The trend is continuing in terms of the level of qualifications of the industry’s workforce. The number of people with higher education rose by 9.7%, and those with a vocational diploma by 6.1%. Another major source of satisfaction is the fact that the number of apprentices has risen significantly, by 133 (+14.5%) across all trades, confirming companies’ commitment to training future professionals.
The Arc horloger region still accounts for the bulk of the sector’s resources, with 60,639 workers (92.9% of the total workforce). The top three spots continue to be occupied by Neuchâtel (17,385), Berne (13,772) and Geneva (11,831), which have consolidated their status as the most watchmaking-oriented cantons in terms of workforce. The cantons of Solothurn (+11.6%), Fribourg (+9.8%) and Jura (+9%) recorded the biggest increases in the sector. Only the cantons of Ticino and Basel-Landschaft reported minimal decreases, of -0.2% and -0.7% respectively.
Despite these first-rate results, caution is called for in 2024. The combined effects of inflation, the economic and geopolitical context and the strength of the Swiss franc certainly suggest that there will be little growth this year and perhaps even a stabilisation in the number of employees within the sector at a level not seen since the 1970s.
January 11, 2024