Key facts
The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) has carried out a sixth audit at the Unemployment Insurance Compensation Office of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO-UI) on the key project ‘Payment of unemployment insurance benefits’ (ASALfutur). In the previous audits, the SFAO had repeatedly found weaknesses in the management and control of the project. The subject has not been sufficiently addressed to date. Various recommendations aim to address these shortcomings.
The payment system ASAL 2.0 was introduced in some areas between 2023 and 2024. At the time of the audit, the benefits for compensating short-time working, bad weather and insolvency are being paid through the new system. The project is now at a point where the payment of unemployment benefits is due to be introduced shortly. Putting these payments into operation as of 6 January, 2026 will present a much greater challenge compared to the other types of payments already introduced, given that unemployment benefits are complex and extensive: unemployment benefit accounts for around 90% of unemployment insurance payments. The aim of the audit is to ascertain whether both the project and the parent organisation are ready for the introduction of the new payments. The SFAO also reviewed the implementation of the recommendations which are relevant to their introduction.
In its audit, the SFAO identified that the project had made progress in management and leadership and the operating organisation was currently being set up. Many of the recommendations can be classed as having been completed. However, bringing external resources in-house remains a challenge for operations. The various measures, some of which are far-reaching, are having a positive effect, which suggests a cautious level of optimism about the successful introduction of unemployment benefit payments. Successful completion of the project remains a challenge for SECO, however, due to the significant backlog. Success is dependent on the project consistently addressing the identified challenges in migration, IT security, and implementation planning, and ensuring operational organisation.