Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
[CH1] Office Federal de la Statistique (Swiss Federal Statistical Office)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Short Term enquiries (KE)
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Swiss Federal Statistical Office Espace de l'Europe 10 2010 Neuchâtel
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
8 April 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
8 April 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
8 April 2026
3.1. Data description
Number of employees and self-employed persons (=occupied posts)
The source is the quarterly enquiry on employment (BESTA/STATEM/STATIMP/JOBSTAT). The main purpose of the survey is to provide early indicators of short-term changes on the labour demand.
3.2. Classification system
NACE Rev. 2.
3.3. Coverage - sector
The survey covers Sections B to E (Industry), Section F (Construction), Section G (Trade) and Sections H to N and P to S (Services) of the NACE Rev. 2 .
No employment threshold is applied: all units with at least one job in the Swiss Business Register are included in the sampling frame.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
According to the definition of employment valid for the Swiss Business Register, a job is defined as a post occupied by one person in an enterprise for which a contribution is paid to the Swiss social security system (AHV/AVS). This also covers self-employed persons.
In the survey, the number of persons employed are recorded by sex and by 4 levels of employment (full time: 90-100%; part-time I: 50- 89%; part-time II: 15-49%; part time III: <15% of the ordinary number of weekly working hours) as well as in full time equivalent jobs.
Number of job vacancies for a given selection of NOGA economic divisions and main regions.
Difficulties encountered by enterprises in recruiting workforce by level of education (compulsory education, apprenticeship, higher professional education, university degree).
Previsions of employment for the next quarter, the entreprise indicates if they want to maintain, increase or decrease the number of jobs in the next quarter (qualitative question).
Accounting conventions: Last month of the reference quarter (March, June, September, December).
3.5. Statistical unit
The enterprise is the reporting unit.
The establishment (local unit) is the observation unit.
3.6. Statistical population
All enterprises with at least one job in Industry, Construction, Retail trade and Services (see 3.2). There are around (sampling frame 2024):
43,000 industrial enterprises
47,000 construction enterprises
75,000 trade enterprises
383,000 other services enterprises
in the reference population.
3.7. Reference area
The geographical area covered is Switzerland (broken down by the seven NUTS2 regions).
Activities outside the geographical territory are not included in the data.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The present survey dates from 1992 although the statistics has existed since 1925.
3.9. Base period
Base year 2021=100
Data are transmitted to Eurostat as indices.
Data are published on national level as absolute figures (Number of employees and self-employed persons).
Quarter
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
All individual data are treated as confidential and rendered anonymous. Tabular data should not permit the disclosure of individual enterprises. Data are only published down to an activity level at which it is not confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
Aggregated Results are disseminated in four quarterly press releases within less than 60 days after the reference date. All available results are publicly published on the FSO website.
The data are released simultaneously to all interested parties.
Internal government access to the data prior (5 days) to their release to the public is limited to the Ministry of Economy and the Swiss National Bank.
Data are transmitted to Eurostat at the time of national publication.
Frequency of data transmission to Eurostat: Quarterly
The press release contains a short analysis of results for the reference quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year as well as the previous quarter (seasonally adjusted results).
The following indicators are disseminated:
the numbers of employees broken down by economic activities (NACE 2-digit), sex, large region (=NUTS2 regions) and level of employment (full-time, part-time and full-time equivalents)
the numbers of jobs vacancies and the rate of job vacancies for a selection of economic activities and regions
results for the qualitative questions addressing the difficulties encountered by enterprises in recruiting workforce broken down by regions and a selection of economic activities.
previsions of employment for the next quarter broken down by regions and a selection of economic activities.
Results are presented either in absolute figures (numbers of employees, job vacancies) or in index form (job vacancies and qualitative variables). Seasonally adjusted data (by economic activities and regions) are also disseminated. Growth rates are calculated with respect either to the same period of the previous year (non seasonally adjusted data) or to the previous quarter (seasonally adjusted data).
Email, postal and phone reminders are sent to speed up or increase the rate of response.
The response rate at the time that the survey closes excedes 90% and 85% for employment and other variables, respectively.
14.1. Timeliness
Press release: within 60 days after the end of the reference period.
The questionnaires are sent out during the first week of the last month of the reference quarter. The deadline for replies is within 7 days after the last day of the reference month. A reminder is sent during the 2nd week after the reference month with a deadline for the following week. The survey is closed during the 5th week after the end of the reference quarter.
14.2. Punctuality
National publication dates and delivery dates to Eurostat are respected.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
In line with ESS/international concepts and definitions.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Number of employees and self-employed persons per NACE2 divisions are available from 3rd quarter 1991
Time series for Large Regions are available from 3rd quarter 1995.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data can be cross-checked with the results of the Statistics of the Structure of the Entreprises (STATENT) (yearly, from 2011).
15.4. Coherence - internal
Data are internally coherent, which means that all totals and subtotals sum up consistently across NACE2 and NUTS2 aggregates.
Efforts are constantly made to keep costs and burden as low as possible, especially by using administrative data when available and sharing data with other surveys. Costs and burden on respondents are estimated once a year.
For 2025 cost for the FSO were estimated to 10 full-time equivalents.
Burden estimates for respondents is on average 15 minutes per form.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Time series are revised every time the sampling frame is adapted.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Major methodological changes and periodic revisions are announced in advance through a press-release. In order to ensure the long term consistency of the time series, a procedure of double estimates for both the old and the new sampling frames are conducted every time the sampling frame is renewed. Changes are documented in methodological reports.
18.1. Source data
The sampling frame is drawn from the Swiss Business register of enterprises and establishments (REE). The survey is based on a sample of enterprises stratified by activities (NACE 2-digit), regions and enterprise size (total number of employees).
Industry: Threshold values and percentages: There are around 43,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 3800 units, in other words 9%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. Therefore, the number of size classes and their sample sizes may vary among Divisions. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Construction : Threshold values and percentages: There are around 47,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 1,900 units, in other words 4%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Trade: There are around 74,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 1900 units, in other words 2,5%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Services: There are around 383,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 11,000 units, in other words 2,9%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. Therefore, the number of size classes and their sample sizes may vary among Divisions. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Frequency of updating the sample for all activities: Once a year.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Quarterly
18.3. Data collection
A single questionnaire is used for all respondents regardless of size and activity.
Four channels of data collection are used: files, internet, paper questionaires and phone calls (reminders and late delivery cases).
18.4. Data validation
Individual data are checked among quarters and against the sampling frame
18.5. Data compilation
Estimates for non-response: Non response is accounted for by adjusting the weighting factors. Missing data for influent cases are filled by imputations.
Estimates for grossing-up to population levels is done using weighting factors.
Results are published as absolute figures.
Method of weighting: On the basis of a stratified sample, the number of employees is estimated using a weighting model with a unique individual weight computed for each observation. Using a bottom-up approach, the data are then aggregated over the strata (economic activities at 2-digit level of NACE, regions and size classes).
18.6. Adjustment
Seasonal adjustment is conducted using X13-ARIMA. Data are adjusted at the level of divisions (NACE 2-digit). The direct method is used for other aggregates.
No comment.
Number of employees and self-employed persons (=occupied posts)
The source is the quarterly enquiry on employment (BESTA/STATEM/STATIMP/JOBSTAT). The main purpose of the survey is to provide early indicators of short-term changes on the labour demand.
8 April 2026
According to the definition of employment valid for the Swiss Business Register, a job is defined as a post occupied by one person in an enterprise for which a contribution is paid to the Swiss social security system (AHV/AVS). This also covers self-employed persons.
In the survey, the number of persons employed are recorded by sex and by 4 levels of employment (full time: 90-100%; part-time I: 50- 89%; part-time II: 15-49%; part time III: <15% of the ordinary number of weekly working hours) as well as in full time equivalent jobs.
Number of job vacancies for a given selection of NOGA economic divisions and main regions.
Difficulties encountered by enterprises in recruiting workforce by level of education (compulsory education, apprenticeship, higher professional education, university degree).
Previsions of employment for the next quarter, the entreprise indicates if they want to maintain, increase or decrease the number of jobs in the next quarter (qualitative question).
Accounting conventions: Last month of the reference quarter (March, June, September, December).
The enterprise is the reporting unit.
The establishment (local unit) is the observation unit.
All enterprises with at least one job in Industry, Construction, Retail trade and Services (see 3.2). There are around (sampling frame 2024):
43,000 industrial enterprises
47,000 construction enterprises
75,000 trade enterprises
383,000 other services enterprises
in the reference population.
The geographical area covered is Switzerland (broken down by the seven NUTS2 regions).
Activities outside the geographical territory are not included in the data.
Quarter
Precision of estimates in terms of coefficient of variation (CV) of the sampling error drive the sampling process with the following goals:
Total number of number of employees and self-employed persons : CV <0.5%
Total number of number of employees and self-employed persons per NACE2 and NUTS2 regions: CV <2%
Total number of number of employees and self-employed persons per NUTS2 regions and economic sector: CV <3%
Data are transmitted to Eurostat as indices.
Data are published on national level as absolute figures (Number of employees and self-employed persons).
Estimates for non-response: Non response is accounted for by adjusting the weighting factors. Missing data for influent cases are filled by imputations.
Estimates for grossing-up to population levels is done using weighting factors.
Results are published as absolute figures.
Method of weighting: On the basis of a stratified sample, the number of employees is estimated using a weighting model with a unique individual weight computed for each observation. Using a bottom-up approach, the data are then aggregated over the strata (economic activities at 2-digit level of NACE, regions and size classes).
The sampling frame is drawn from the Swiss Business register of enterprises and establishments (REE). The survey is based on a sample of enterprises stratified by activities (NACE 2-digit), regions and enterprise size (total number of employees).
Industry: Threshold values and percentages: There are around 43,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 3800 units, in other words 9%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. Therefore, the number of size classes and their sample sizes may vary among Divisions. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Construction : Threshold values and percentages: There are around 47,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 1,900 units, in other words 4%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Trade: There are around 74,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 1900 units, in other words 2,5%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Services: There are around 383,000 enterprises in the reference population. Approximately 11,000 units, in other words 2,9%, are sampled each quarter. The thresholds of the size classes are determined individually in order to minimise the variance of estimates of the total number of employees. Therefore, the number of size classes and their sample sizes may vary among Divisions. The largest size classes are exhaustively sampled. In addition, most large enterprises report exhaustive data for all their establishments.
Frequency of updating the sample for all activities: Once a year.
Frequency of data transmission to Eurostat: Quarterly
Frequency of national dissemination: Quarterly
Press release: within 60 days after the end of the reference period.
The questionnaires are sent out during the first week of the last month of the reference quarter. The deadline for replies is within 7 days after the last day of the reference month. A reminder is sent during the 2nd week after the reference month with a deadline for the following week. The survey is closed during the 5th week after the end of the reference quarter.
In line with ESS/international concepts and definitions.
Number of employees and self-employed persons per NACE2 divisions are available from 3rd quarter 1991
Time series for Large Regions are available from 3rd quarter 1995.
