Two lost years for workers

The purchasing power of workers has reduced in the last year, as of 2017. Although the nominal wages in 2018, the country have risen by an average of 0.5 per cent, at the same time, the average annual inflation amounted to 0.9 per cent. On balance, a real wage decline of 0.4 per cent resulted. For 2017, the Federal office for statistics had already identified a decline in real wages by an average of 0.1 percent.

image to enlarge

As "alarming", to be referred to because the Swiss Federation of trade unions in a communication, the recent wage development. "The employers' closing (...) the work of taking from the upswing", it means more. This is even more than the households would be burdened by rising Rents and health insurance premiums.

compensation this year?

The workers ' umbrella organisation travail Suisse belonging to the trade Union Syna, the "failed distribution policies criticized in its opinion," in the wage: increases ten years ago, two-thirds of the salary increases generally for all employees benefited, have you distributed in the last three years, just under a third.

After all, it looks in the current year, from the point of view of the workers: nominal wages have been raised in the recent round of Pay negotiations, according to expert estimates, on average, around 1 percent, while this year's inflation rate of economic observers is estimated to be about 0.5 percent. It remains in these Figures, could compensate you for the work, taking the loss in purchasing power by 2018.

The trade unions are likely to be but little pleased, especially since the Swiss economy will remain beyond this year, growth rate, and most companies have coped with the Frank shock. The employers argue that the productivity – the output per hour worked would increase been only modest; correspondingly low, the scope for salary increases.

if one Takes the period from 2014 to 2018 to a scale, so must the balance sheet from the trade Union optics: In these five years, in real terms, wages for all workers by an average of 0.6 percent per year. The women (+0.7 percent per year) have performed slightly better than men (+0.5 percent).

image to enlarge

Big differences

As a relatively medium values shows once more the views of the last year's wage development in individual sectors. Employees in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, in financial services, in telecommunications or in information technology, majority were in the enjoyment of real wage increases.

At the other end of the ranking, configure sectors of the economy, where 2018 even nominal wages have fallen. Of them were concerned about Employees of Postal and courier services, as well as those in the wood-, paper - and printing industry.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 30.04.2019, at 22:55