New orders received by the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering industries (MEM industries) recorded a further year-on-year decline in the third quarter of 2015, falling by 12.8 percent. Third-quarter sales also decreased (-6.7%) com-pared to the prior-year period. The downward trend in the MEM industries has therefore continued for another quarter, and there are virtually no indications that the nadir has been reached. Swissmem expects the accelerated structural change – which is being driven by the massive overvaluation of the Swiss franc – to continue. Further headcount reductions are therefore likely in the MEM industries over the next few months.
