immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: bfs

  • Private conversion projects boost construction investments in 2022

    Private conversion projects boost construction investments in 2022

    Total construction expenditure is made up of construction investments and public maintenance work. They increased by 1.5% in 2022. However, since construction prices have risen sharply, this results in a real minus of 5.9%. Construction investments showed a nominal increase of 1.8% year-on-year. On the other hand, expenditure on public maintenance work recorded a decline of 1.4% compared to the previous year.

    Private clients invested heavily in conversion projects
    Investments in new buildings (+0.3%) and conversions (+4.2%) increased in 2022 compared to the previous year. This positive result is due to private clients, who invested significantly more in conversions (+7.2%). In the same period they also spent more on new construction projects (+0.3%). The public clients – i.e. the Confederation, cantons and municipalities – increased their investments in new buildings within the year (+0.3%). On the other hand, they spent less on renovation projects (-0.1%).

    Positive development of building construction investments
    Switzerland-wide, more was invested in building construction (+2.3%) compared to 2021. Both private clients (+2.4%) and the public sector (+1.3%) contributed to this positive result. In contrast, investments in civil engineering (-0.1%) declined within a year. Public clients spent less on infrastructure construction (-0.9%). Private clients, on the other hand, invested more in civil engineering (+3.2%).

    Outlook for 2023
    The work in progress (expenditure) for the following year 2023 for construction projects under construction (incl. public maintenance work) increased by 1.6% as of the reporting date 31.12.2022 compared to the previous year’s reporting date.

    Source: bfs.admin.ch

  • Employment growth stable at high level in Q1 2023

    Employment growth stable at high level in Q1 2023

    Companies in Switzerland (excluding agriculture) reported a total of 5.389 million employees in the 1st quarter of 2023. This corresponds to an increase of 2.2% (+115 700 jobs) within a year. Employment in the secondary sector (industry and construction) rose by 2.1% (+22 700 jobs) and in the tertiary sector (services) by 2.2% (+93 000 jobs).

    In terms of full-time equivalents (FTEs), the volume of employment reached 4.206 million jobs (+2.4% compared to the same quarter of the previous year). This is 98,100 full-time equivalents more than a year ago. Both the industrial sector (+20 800 FTEs; +2.1%) and the service sector (+77 300 FTEs; +2.5%) benefited from this increase.

    Seasonally adjusted and compared to the previous quarter, the number of employees in companies increased by 0.6% (+32 100 jobs). Thus, within one quarter, the employment level increased both in industry and construction (+7600 jobs; +0.7%) and in services (+23 800 jobs; +0.6%).

    Highest increase in employment again in the hotel and restaurant industry
    In a year-on-year comparison, all sectors of the economy showed increases in the number of employees. The strongest percentage growth, as in all quarters after the Corona crisis, was recorded in “Hotels and restaurants” (+16 500; +6.8%). The section “Transport and communication” also developed very positively (+18 500; +4.2%). Further robust values were achieved in “Education” (+11 200; +2.8%) and “Health and social work” (+21 500; +2.7%).

    Significant increase in employment in the greater Zurich region
    In Q1 2023, employment increased in all of Switzerland’s greater regions, ranging from 1.3% (+3200 jobs) in Ticino to 3.2% (+34 100 jobs) in Zurich. In the secondary sector, the major region of Northwestern Switzerland (+3.6%) and in the tertiary sector the major regions of Zurich and Central Switzerland (+3.4% each) recorded the highest percentage increases.

    Once again more vac ancies
    Companies reported a total of 126,600 vacancies in Q1 2023 (+5.9% year-on-year). Compared to a year ago, this is an increase of 7100 jobs. Broken down by sector, the number of vacancies in both the secondary and tertiary sectors increased by 14.8% and 3.2% respectively. Measured in terms of all vacancies (filled plus vacant), the rate corresponded to 2.3% in the total, 2.8% in the secondary sector and 2.2% in the tertiary sector.

    Employment outlook still good
    The share of companies planning to increase their workforce in the short term was 15.2% (15.7% in the same quarter last year) of total employment; the share of those intending to reduce was 3.6% (2.7% in the same quarter last year). The remainder of the 18,000 companies surveyed intend to maintain staffing levels (67.8% and 65.9% respectively in the same quarter of the previous year) or have not expressed an opinion (13.3% and 15.6% respectively in the same quarter of the previous year).

    The employment outlook indicator, which is calculated from this information, fell slightly compared to the previous year (1.07; -1%). This somewhat less optimistic assessment is evident in all major regions of Switzerland.

    Depending on the sector, the search for skilled workers remains difficult
    Difficulties in recruiting skilled workers have increased overall compared to the same quarter last year (41%; +2.3 percentage points). Companies in “mechanical engineering” were particularly affected (75.8%; +8.4 percentage points). In contrast, recruitment in the “hotel and restaurant industry” (39.6%; -5.8 percentage points) eased somewhat.

  • SVIT Swiss Real Estate Forum 2022 – focus on digitization, disruption and flood of data

    SVIT Swiss Real Estate Forum 2022 – focus on digitization, disruption and flood of data

    After the official SVIT delegates’ meeting on Thursday morning, the strategy and innovation consultant Maks Giordano gave a lecture in the conference room of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne. He showed what happens and how one can react “when the future comes in exponential steps”. Giordano is convinced that after mobile communications and the World Wide Web, our industries are now being fundamentally changed again by the third wave of digital disruption and its exponential developments in technology. “In these times of hyper-innovation and hyper-growth, it is imperative that we all learn the necessary skills to manage this change,” he said.

    Comedy and political gossip
    Afterwards, comedian Kaya Yanar offered a “best of” of his previous work in the television and comedy scene, before the first panel discussion took place in the afternoon. SVIT Forum moderator Urs Gredig welcomed the politicians Hans Egloff (SVP, President HEV Switzerland) and Michael Töngi (Greens, Vice President of the Swiss Tenants’ Association) as well as Martin Tschirren , Director of the BWO Federal Office for Housing, on stage. Together they analyzed the current political and social mood with regard to a possible total revision of Swiss tenancy law, which dates back to 1990. In general, given the majority in the National Council, they only consider minor changes to be possible, even if Egloff and Töngi demanded fundamental modifications and partial revisions. Federal Office Director Tschirren pointed out that the housing shortage is threatening to worsen in the period ahead. This is primarily to be seen in the large cities and centers.

    The Federal Council sees a need for action on rents
    At the end of the first day of the SVIT Forum 2022, Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin , Head of the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research and President of the Swiss Confederation in 2021, addressed a message of welcome to the SVIT delegates and guests. He emphasized the new meaning for living as a result of the corona pandemic. In view of home office and video conferencing from home, office workers in particular have now given more thought to their living situation. Today it is important to react to sharply rising housing and energy prices. In addition, the home ownership rate in Switzerland is again in reverse gear: While it was still 38.4 percent in 2015, it was only 36.4 percent in 2019, Parmelin quoted from the figures from the BFS and the Federal Office for Housing. He sees a “certain need for action” when it comes to structuring rents. Specifically, he was in a possible review of the site and neighborhood customary. There will soon be a group of experts to deal with this topic. Regarding the latest developments on the interest side, Parmelin said: “The Swiss National Bank is getting back to normal.”

    Boat ride and roller coaster
    The first day of the event was rounded off with a boat trip on Lake Lucerne on the MS Diamant. The second day of the SVIT Forum 2022 on Friday began with an impressive keynote speech by the former AMD boss and current start-up investor Carsten Maschmeyer , who described the ups and downs of his business career and shared his “success formula through opportunities and crises for a fulfilled life» revealed.

    Data rights of digitized service providers
    The second panel discussion, moderated by “Immobilia” editor Ivo Cathomen , dealt with the future of real estate service providers. He had invited Oliver Hofmann , CEO of Wincasa AG, Béatrice Schaeppi , head of the family company of the same name, and Severin Krebs , managing director of Pfannenstiel Immobilien AG, to the podium. The three company leaders described how digitization influences and determines the work of the manager in many ways today. They identified data sovereignty and data protection as well as the satisfaction of different customer needs and the recruitment of specialist staff as the most important construction sites for services in the real estate industry.

    The SVIT Swiss Real Estate Forum 2022 ended on Friday afternoon in the Verkehrshaus Luzern with a farewell by SVIT President Andreas Ingold and finally with a Thai stand-up lunch in the foyer, while the first major thunderstorm of the day fell outside.

  • Construction investments are falling slightly

    Construction investments are falling slightly

    Construction investments fell by 0.3 percent year-on-year in 2020, as the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO ) writes in a press release. This is understood to mean the construction expenses without public maintenance work. If these are also factored in, the total construction expenditure will be roughly at the level of the previous year.

    Investments in new construction projects have decreased by 0.6 percent year-on-year. In contrast, 0.1 percent more was invested in renovation projects. The federal government, cantons and municipalities invested more in both new construction and renovation projects than in 2019. In 2020, private clients were more cautious.

    According to the FSO, a positive development was observed in civil engineering investments. These increased by 3.2 percent in 2020. In contrast, investments in building construction projects decreased by 1.1 percent. While the federal government, cantons and municipalities have invested more in building construction as well as in civil engineering than in the previous year, the amount invested by the private sector only increased in civil engineering.

  • The effects of the pandemic on industry and construction are weakening

    The effects of the pandemic on industry and construction are weakening

    According to a statement from the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO ), production in the secondary sector in Switzerland fell by 4.4 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020. At the same time, sales by Swiss companies in industry and construction fell by 6.3 percent. The coronavirus pandemic is thus "continuing to leave its mark in the secondary sector," write the FSO analysts. Compared to the previous quarter, however, the declines were "only about half as large".

    In the industrial sector, production fell 5.1 percent year-on-year in the quarter under review. A weakening of the decline was observed over the three months. It was the strongest in July at 6.7 percent. In August production was 5.6 percent below the previous year's figure, in September the minus weakened to 3.8 percent.

    In the construction industry, production decreased by 0.4 percent in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter of 2019. A decline of 7.2 percent was recorded in building construction. In contrast, production in civil engineering and other construction trades increased by 4.6 and 2.9 percent at the same time.

    Sales in industry were 7.9 percent lower in the reporting quarter than in the same quarter of the previous year. Gradually weaker declines between 9.7 percent in July and 5.6 percent in September were observed in the individual three months.

    Sales in the construction industry fell 0.6 percent below the previous year's figure in the third quarter of 2020. Here the range ranged from a minus of 6.9 percent in building construction to a plus of 5.1 percent in civil engineering.

  • Reconstruction displaces new construction

    Reconstruction displaces new construction

    Overall, the construction industry barely moved in 2019. According to the provisional figures from the Federal Statistical Office ( BFS ), an increase in construction investments in civil engineering of 3.9 percent offset a decline in building construction of 0.9 percent.

    There was a change from new buildings to renovations and expansions. Investments in new civil engineering buildings fell by 6.9 percent, while investments in conversions and expansions rose by 13.2 percent. In building construction, too, investments in renovations and extensions rose by 1.6 percent, while investments in new buildings fell by 2.0 percent.

    This switch to renovations was particularly pronounced among public clients: Last year they invested 8.8 percent more in renovations and extensions and 7.2 percent less in new buildings. Private clients invested 2.2 percent more in conversions and expansions than in 2018, but 1.4 percent less in new buildings.