Number of women in Swiss labor market more than doubled in half century

According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, women's participation in the labor market has more than doubled in half a century. The number of women in employment rose from 964,000 in 1970 to 2.264 million in 2023. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This means that 46.7% of the working population (15 years or older) were women last year, according to a statement from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Thursday. In 1970, the figure was 33.9%. As the figures also show, this is accompanied by a significant increase in part-time employment among women, from 29.4% to 58% over the same period. Overall, the labor market (including both men and women) in Switzerland grew from 2.8 million to 4.8 million people between 1970 and 2023. According to FSO statistics, men made up 53.3% of the working population in 2023 with 2.5 million individuals. And the proportion of part-time work among them has also risen sharply: from 4.1% in 1970 to 19.6% last year.