Labour market measures help unemployed persons or persons threatened by unemployment to become reintegrated into the labour market quickly and on a long-term basis.
You can find detailed information on the individual measures in the list below and in the brochure (PDF, 187 kB, 01.07.2021) on labour market measures. If you have any questions, please contact your regional employment centre (RAV).
Training and retraining courses
By attending courses run by qualified training staff, you can improve your professional qualifications and therefore your chances of employment.
Conditions for taking part on a course
To take part in a course, you must ...
When is a course recommended?
There are a wide range of available courses. Your RAV personnel consultant will help you find a course that will improve your chances on the labour market. Courses are offered in various areas.
Duration of courses
The duration of courses can vary and may last from a number of days up to several weeks.
Looking for a job: Always a priority!
You are obliged to continue looking for a job during the whole duration of the course.
The aim of a trainee work placement at a company or authorities is to improve your specialist knowledge after completing a period of training. This increases your chances of quickly and permanently finding a job. The duration of the placement is based on your needs, but will not be more than three months.
Participation conditions
To benefit from this measure, you must ...
When is a trainee work placement recommended?
Case study
Mr Meier has been working as a commercial clerk at a company in the Berne region for six months. Following a restructuring, Mr Meier is dismissed. Although he completed business school with a diploma, he discovers that he is at a disadvantage: He lacks professional experience, and his written and spoken knowledge of French leaves a lot to be desired. His RAV personnel consultant suggests a three-month trainee work placement in the administrative section of the canton of Vaud. Thanks to his increased specialist knowledge and improved language skills as well as the contacts he made during the placement, Mr Meier finds a job in the administrative section of the city of Lausanne following his three-month placement.
Looking for a job: Always a priority!
You are obliged to continue looking for a job during the whole duration of the placement.
Purpose
Training grants allow you to
In other words,
have you yet to complete your vocational training or is the training you received no longer up-to-date for the labour market? Thanks to the assistance provided by unemployment insurance, you are able to complete an apprenticeship with a Federal Certificate of Competence (FCC) or a comparable cantonal certificate.
Duration
In principle, the duration of this measure is limited to three years.
Participation conditions
Requirements for receiving training grants:
The RAV will make a decision on the application.
Case study
Ms Schneider is 34 years old and has no vocational qualifications. She has had several support roles in various manufacturing companies. She has been unemployed for seven months and has not found a job despite an intensive search. After consulting with her regional employment centre and vocational guidance services, she decides, with the help of a training grant, to embark on a three-year training apprenticeship to become a professional healthcare assistance.
Training firms
Would you like to gain commercial experience or complete additional training? In this case, a training firm is the right choice for you. In line with the principle of "learning by doing", you will gain experience and new professional knowledge in a practical environment. This will increase your chances of finding a new job more quickly.
Commerce, crafts and technology
Training firms simulate all areas of the economy: A firm in the area of commerce, for example, buys and sells fictitious products with other training firms. Thanks to the various processes running between the companies, you can carry out realistic work in the areas of administration, finances, accountancy, banking etc.
Another example is in the crafts and technology sectors, where you can carry out work in the areas of manufacturing, construction, conception etc. This helps you gain practical experience or learn new techniques.
Participation conditions
Requirements for completing a work placement:
Do you have the right profile?
This measure is suitable for people whose lack of direct practical experience is disadvantaging them in finding a job. Priority is given to:
Case study
Ms Moser is 42 years old. She dedicated many years of her life to raising her children. On getting divorced, her financial situation became more complicated, meaning she has had to start looking for work again. She quickly realises that working processes have changed a great deal and she will have difficulty finding a job. She therefore registers with an RAV. To facilitate her re-entry into the labour market, her RAV personnel consultant recommends that she complete a work placement at a training firm, where she can fully immerse herself in the world of work. He also suggests a course in office IT. Six months spent at a training firm together with the course in office IT will help open doors in the labour market.
Duration of measure
Usually six months.
Looking for a job: Always a priority!
You are obliged to continue looking for a job during the entire time spent at a training firm. As such, your job search must be compatible with the working hours at the firm.
You may be eligible for an induction grant if you need to be inducted into a specialist area in order to achieve the level of performance expected by your employer.
You should let employers who you are already in contact with know about this measure. This could be a key step on the path to a new job!
Under what conditions are grants paid out?
Requirements for receiving induction grants:
The RAV makes a decision on the application.
Duration
The duration of the induction phase depends on individual requirements, but is no longer than six months. On average, 40% of the salary is financed.
In exceptional cases and for people over 50 years of age, induction grants can be provided for up to twelve months; for the latter group of people, 50% of the salary is financed.
Case study
Mr Peter is 48 years old and has been unemployed for eight months. Before becoming unemployed, he worked as a mail carrier at a large bank. Now he has received a job offer from an insurance company, which would like him to work in its security department. As he has never worked in this sector, a longer induction period is necessary. Thanks to the induction grant, the company employs Mr Peter. For six months, the unemployment insurance will cover 40% of Mr Peter’s salary.
The motivation semester is a measure designed specially for young people. It usually comprises an employment and a training component. You are eligible to take part if after finishing your compulsory education or high school diploma (“Matura”), you are unemployed or you have aborted an apprenticeship, grammar school or other high school.
Duration
The motivation semester aims to provide you with a fixed structure and allow you to select a course of training. It usually lasts four to six months.
Participation conditions
Case study
Julia is at high risk of developing an addiction. During her compulsory education, there was nothing conspicuous about her behaviour. Her parents are very domineering and her older brother has no education. After starting her motivation semester, Julia quickly made contact with a group, which has had a certain stabilising effect. Of note, however, have been her many absences, her level of unreliability and her aimless job search. Julia quickly becomes enthusiastic about things, but then she is prone to losing interest just as quickly. After a few months, she decides on a certain direction for her training (sales) and gets a “taster” of various companies. Julia then finds company, where the person in charge of training is willing to offer her an apprenticeship despite having some concerns. The person responsible for the motivation semester agrees with the company that Julia will get the opportunity to complete her basic education culminating in a Federal Vocational Certificate. In return, the company expects perseverance from her. The support team for the motivation semester will therefore help Julia to close any gaps in her education before her apprenticeship begins. Currently Julia is completing a longer work placement at her future company.
Would you like to find out more?
Read the assessment of the surveys carried out for Switzerland’s motivation semesters in 2016/2017 (PDF, 371 kB, 26.01.2018) (German version).
Objective
A temporary employment programme enables you to carry out a work-related activity so that you can use and build on your key vocational qualifications. The aim of this programme is
With the help of the regional employment centre RAV, you can find a programme suitable for you.
The temporary employment programmes are available in various sectors:
Opportunity to attend courses
For the entire duration of the programme, you have the opportunity to attend a course (usually one day per week). Ask you RAV personnel consultant about this!
Duration of measure
A temporary employment programme usually lasts six months. In special cases, they can be extended, but this is only possible with the agreement of the RAV.
Participation conditions
To benefit from this measure, you must be unemployed and have registered with an RAV.
When is a temporary employment programme recommended?
Case study
Mr Unger is 40 years old and has worked for more than 20 years as a print worker in a large company. Due to restructuring at the company and the introduction of a new printing process, he is no longer working for his employer. Mr Unger receives a letter of dismissal and immediately registers with his regional employment centre. After talking to Mr Unger, his RAV personnel consultant determines that his vocational skills are now out of date and that he does not have any knowledge of modern printing processes. She therefore registers him for a temporary employment programme organised specially for unemployed print workers. In the integrated training part of the programme, Mr Unger learns about the latest and most common printing processes. He is able to put his newly acquired knowledge into practice in the vocational part of the programme, where he is jointly responsible for printing the internal project magazine.
During the programme, Mr Unger continues to search for work. He is invited to a two-day assessment workshop by a number of companies. In just his second workshop, he impresses the company enough to be offered a job. After six months on the temporary employment programme, he is delighted to have found a permanent job again.
Looking for a job: Always a priority!
You are obliged to continue looking for a job during the entire duration of the programme.
Objective
A vocational work placement in a private company offers you the chance to gain initial professional experience or vocational skills. The contacts you make there will increase you chances of finding a job in this line of work or a related profession.
Duration
It is possible to take part in a vocational work placement for a maximum of six months.
Participation conditions
Case study
Mr Sargenti has successfully completed his apprenticeship as a commercial clerk. Due to a lack of professional experience, he has not found a job despite an intensive search. His RAV personnel consultant finds him a vocational work placement in the administrative department of a major distributor. Thanks to the direct contact he has with people, after four months Mr Sargenti is offered a job as a purchasing administrator by a customer of the company where he is completing his placement; he gladly accepts the offer.
Looking for a job: Always a priority!
You are obliged to continue looking for a job during the whole duration of the placement.
Unemployment insurance assists people in taking up self-employed work
Requirements
The responsible office decides whether it will assist you in taking up self-employed work. You must provide the RAV with a rough concept, which clearly shows whether the planned self-employed work is financially viable over the long term.
Case study
Mr Müller is 44 years old and has been unemployed for six months. Before becoming unemployed, he worked as a gardener for the canton. As he spends more and more time unemployed, he comes up with the idea of becoming self-employed. Following a number of conversations with his RAV personnel consultant, he decides to open his own gardening business. He then submits a rough concept and an application for special daily allowances to his personnel consultant. Both of these are approved. Mr Müller is now able to spend around four months planning his project (with up to 90 daily allowances) and then open his own business.
Contributions to commuting costs and weekly stays aim to encourage your geographical mobility and avoid you experiencing any financial disadvantage through accepting a job outside your place of residence. Contributions to commuting costs aim to - at least partially - offset your travel costs incurred between where you live and where you work.
If your place of work is so far from where you live that a daily commute is not feasible, you may be eligible for weekly stay contributions. In such cases, the unemployment insurance fund will, for a limited period of time, make a contribution towards the actual costs you incur for travel, food/drink and accommodation at your place of work.
Duration
Contributions to commuting costs and weekly stays can be made for a maximum of six months.
Requirements
Requirements for receiving contributions to commuting costs and weekly stays:
The responsible RAV will notify you of any other requirements that must be met.
Case study
Mr Minder lives in Berne and is an ETH-qualified engineer with many years of mechanical engineering experience. Despite an intensive job search in his area, he has been unemployed for four months. He now applies for a job in Lausanne, which appears tailor-made for him. After a lengthy selection procedure, the company has decided that Mr Minder is the right man for the job. At least some of the travel costs he incurs on his daily rail commute from his home to his place of work will be reimbursed to him via contributions to commuting costs for a period of four months.
