Switzerland said 21,000 companies applied for reduced working hours in March as the coronavirus outbreak forced the closure of numerous businesses.
The companies’ bids to participate in the government’s Kurzarbeit program cover 315,000 staff, equivalent to 6.1% of the workforce, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
The demand far exceeds that seen during the global financial crisis. In the spring of 2009, 5,000 companies with 92,000 staff participated in Kurzarbeit, Boris Zuercher, head of the SECO’s labor market directorate, said in Bern on Monday.
The epidemic has forced the closures of shops, restaurants and even fitness centers until April 19. The Swiss government has announced more than 40 billion francs worth of measures to help the economy.
