A strong increase in healthcare jobs in Switzerland has been recorded by the country's data agency.

According to figures from the Central Statistical Office (FSO), the sector saw jobs increase by 2.6 per cent year-on-year between 2001 and 2008.

This means the field has outstripped general employment growth, which averaged 1.2 per cent per annum during the seven years.

An estimated 90,000 positions were created in 2008 alone, taking the total healthcare workforce in the country to 542,000.

The medical profession is now responsible for an estimated 13.5 per cent of all roles in Switzerland.

A further FSO recently revealed employment in both the secondary and third sectors of the economy grew during the third quarter of 2010 compared with the same period of last year.

The quarterly study also showed the third sector saw particularly strong expansion, while "all short-term employment outlook indicators show a positive trend for the next quarter".

Posted by Alex Donnell