News 
Between now and 2026, the watch industry will be recruiting and training on a massive scale.
According to a survey by the Swiss Watch Industry Employers’ Association (CP), there will be a marked increase in the need for people with initial training in the sector; 3,835 employees will have to be trained or recruited. Carried out every five years, this survey will lead to the implementation of targeted actions in the field of professional training.
The CP is responsible for vocational training in the sector. In order to implement training measures tailored to the industry’s needs, it is conducting a wide-ranging survey of its companies. The aim is to find out what qualified personnel will be needed over the next five years, occupation by occupation. The results show that the watchmaking industry will continue to hire more qualified personnel. The CP, which is conducting its sixth survey, will therefore be able to put in place the necessary measures in the field of vocational training to ensure that supply and demand are matched.
The increase in the number of people with initial training in the sector forecast for 2026 (+12.5%) is much higher than that analysed in the 2016 survey (+3%). In concrete terms, this represents 1,466 new posts (compared with 400 for the period 2016-2021), to which must be added the replacement of 2,369 retirees. This increase is explained by the industry’s healthy economic situation and the current important production needs.
All the occupations in the technical watchmaking sector, with one exception, are affected by this increase. Among those for which the CP has direct responsibility are the top three: CNC-specific watch exterior finishing technician (+54%), microtechnology quality control specialist (+24%) and watchmaking operator (+18%). The first two mentioned meet a need expressed in recent years by companies, for which the CP has developed a new training course.
Previous surveys had predicted that certain trades would soon vanish and be replaced by automated operations. Today, the situation is different. New competencies have been added to the initial training and enable the use of these new technologies. They are thus giving rise to new professions, such as that of qualititian in microtechnology and CNC-specific watch exterior finishing technician, in parallel with the traditional occupations guaranteeing the skills required for the watchmaking and microtechnology sector.
The proportion of retirements over the next five years, compared with the age pyramid, shows that the situation is likely to remain under control for the coming years. The creation of new jobs will however require significant effort in terms of training.
The previous survey, based on FSO forecasts, predicted a potential labour shortage, particularly in the technical field. These predictions have now become reality. In addition, companies authorised to train apprentices are sometimes struggling to find enough people to fill their apprenticeship vacancies. This phenomenon is now affecting all trades in the industry.
The real challenge today is thus to attract enough young people to meet the needs. The promotion of technical occupations and of dual training as a whole is a major priority for companies. Numerous projects have been launched in recent years with the aim of demonstrating the attractiveness and diversity of the professions in the industry, as well as the modernisation of working conditions. These efforts, coupled with other measures, should make it possible to cope with the anticipated increases, providing the sector continues its efforts in terms of training.
December 08, 2022