A third of Swiss industrial companies on short-time work

Employees at many small and medium-sized industrial companies in Switzerland are currently working shortened hours, including a third of manufacturing firms. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This is the result of a survey conducted by the umbrella organisation Swissmechanic. Although the majority of companies are not resorting to short-time working, small and medium-sized companies are particularly affected, Swissmechanic said. Around 45% of companies with 10 to 49 employees and 29% of companies with 50 to 249 employees had recently introduced short-time working. The duration of short-time working varies. A good third of the companies affected have been working short-time for more than six months. A good quarter have been doing so for three to six months and around 30% have implemented short-time working for one to three months. In a good 40% of companies, short-time working affects a maximum of half of the workforce, while in 28% between three quarters ...