Mechanical engineering One third of industrial companies on short-time working
Many small and medium-sized industrial companies are currently working short-time. This is the result of a survey conducted by the umbrella organization Swissmechanic. According to the survey, around a third of members are affected.
17.03.2025, 08:57
SDA
Although the majority of companies are not resorting to short-time working, small and medium-sized companies are particularly affected, Swissmechanic said in a statement on Monday. Around 45 percent of companies with 10 to 49 employees and 29 percent of companies with 50 to 249 employees have recently introduced short-time working.
The duration of short-time working varies. A good third of the companies affected have been working short-time for more than six months. A good quarter have been doing so for three to six months and around 30 percent have implemented it for one to three months. In a good 40 percent of companies, short-time working affects a maximum of half of the workforce, while in 28 percent three quarters to 100 percent of employees are affected.
Only a small proportion of companies are satisfied with the authorities
For just under half of the companies, the application for approval of short-time work was implemented relatively quickly, but still with some bureaucratic hurdles. Only around a fifth of companies found the approval process to be very quick and unbureaucratic.
For 17 percent of companies, the process was lengthy and bureaucratic. If the proportion of short-time work is only low, the effort involved often exceeds the actual benefit. Swissmechanic therefore sees a need for action without proposing specific measures.
The association assumes that around three-quarters of companies will continue to work short-time for longer. Only around a quarter of those affected expect the measure to end soon.
