Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) - Switzerland (Ratification: 1987)

Articles 7 and 8 of the Convention. Statistics of employment, unemployment and underemployment. Statistics of the structure and distribution of the economically active population. The Committee notes that the statistics on the economically active population, employment, unemployment and visible underemployment continue to be communicated regularly to the ILO Department of Statistics for dissemination on the ILOSTAT website. The Committee also notes that these statistics continue to be generated by the Swiss active population survey (ESPA), which is a sample survey of persons corresponding to Labour Force Surveys. The Committee notes in this regard that the ESPA has moved from being purely telephonic to being a multi-modal survey (by internet and telephone) and that the questionnaire has been slightly modified to conform with the new Integrated European Social Statistics (IESS) regulation. The Committee notes nevertheless that the Government does not provide updated information regarding the methodology used for the last population census. The Committee requests the Government to continue regularly to provide updated statistical data to the ILO Department of Statistics on employment, unemployment, underemployment and the distribution of the active population. It also requests the Government to communicate related information on the methodology and data of the population census in the country. Furthermore, in the absence of information in this regard, the Committee reiterates its request for the Government to communicate information on all progress achieved in the implementation of the Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization (Resolution I), adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) (2013). It further requests the Government to provide information on the implementation of the resolution concerning statistics on work relationships, adopted by the ICLS at its 20th Session (2018) (Resolution I), as well as on the implementation of the Resolution concerning statistics on the informal economy, adopted by the ICLS at its 21st session (2023) (Resolution I).

Article 14. Statistics of occupational injuries and occupational diseases. The Committee notes that the Government continues to regularly communicate statistics on occupational injuries to the ILO Department of Statistics. In response to the Committee’s previous comment, the Government indicates that the data on occupational injuries are compiled with statistics on occupational diseases in the annual reports of the Swiss accident insurance (LLA) statistics coordination group, and in the annual reports of the Federal Coordination Committee for occupational safety. Emphasizing that the decision of the International Labour Conference at its 110th Session in June 2022 to include “a safe and healthy working environment” as a fundamental principle and right at work,the Committee requests the Government: (i) to communicate information on any development concerning the publication of statistics on occupational accidents and diseases; (ii) to continue regularly providing relevant statistics; and (iii) to communicate up-to-date information on the sources, concepts, definitions and methodology used during collection and compilation of statistics.

Article 16. Prospects for the acceptance of obligations. Statistics of labour cost. Although the Government has not accepted to be bound by Article 11 of the Convention concerning labour cost, the Committee notes the updated information provided regarding the application of this provision. The Committee notes in this regard that the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has been compiling statistics on the cost of labour since 2012. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the statistics compiled by the FSO on the cost of labour and to consider the possibility of accepting the obligations of Article 11 of the Convention, in accordance with the provisions of Article 16(3).