Unemployment in Switzerland rose less than economists had feared in January, according to the release of official figures.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs disclosed that the non-seasonally adjusted Swiss jobless rate rose by 0.1 per cent to 4.5 per cent last month, which is 0.1 per cent below the number predicted by analysts.

In seasonally-adjusted terms, the national unemployment rate also dropped by the same figure to 4.1 per cent of the labor market, suggesting that a recovery in employment is underway.

Fabian Heller, economist at Credit Suisse, explained that these results are "somewhat better than expected".

He told Reuters: "We assume that the jobless rate will rise, but not as drastically as we had thought six months or a year ago. [But] it's not a turning point."

Earlier this month, Credit Suisse revealed in its purchasing managers' index that the country's manufacturing industry is still suffering from the effects of the recession, particularly in regards to employment.