Sufficient number of apprenticeships in Switzerland
In Switzerland, there appears to be a sufficient number of apprenticeships available to the young workforce. In fact, the number of available positions exceeds the demand.
More than enough apprenticeships
The situation in the market for apprenticeships is stable at the moment. In the past few years it was often the case that there were not enough apprenticeships available. Fortunately, however, this is no longer the case. Federal statistics dhow that supply is exceeding demand. In April, there were an estimates 81,500 apprenticeships available. a year before that, the number was hovering around 80,000. An estimates 78,000 youths are in search of an apprenticeship, which is only marginally fewer than were looking a year ago. It is expected that the demand as well as the number of available internships will once again rise in August. The cause of this increase is attributed to the changing of course of individual students, as well as the delayed recruitment of apprentices in the cantons of Western Switzerland as well as in Ticino.
The industry view
Looking at differing industries it becomes evident that certain sectors have an excess of apprenticeships, while others have difficulty attracting the required number of apprentices.
The demand exceeds the supply in the following sectors: sales, manufacturing, IT, healthcare, social services, and art/printing. The opposite s true for the following sectors: back and front office, farming, technical jobs, architecture and construction.
The number of graduates has gone down in the past few years which has led to the problem that some apprenticeships cannot be filled. There are also less youths unable to find an apprenticeship.
