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Working in Switzerland: A weekly roundup of the latest job news

Find out everything you need to know about working in Switzerland with The Local's weekly roundup of jobs news.

Published: 12 August 2021 11:21 CEST
Updated: 12 August 2021 18:12 CEST
Working in Switzerland: A weekly roundup of the latest job news
IT jobs are in high demand in Switzerland. Photo by Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Copy

Starting in August 2021, The Local will bring you weekly updates on everything related to jobs and working in Switzerland. 

This includes trends, reader feedback and relevant laws that you need to know about when working in Switzerland. 

Statistics: Unemployment highest in French-speaking cantons

At the end of July 2021, the overall rate stood at a relatively low 2.8 percent, but some cantons did better than others on the job front, according to figures released this week by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

As the SECO map below indicates, at 4.9 and 4.8 percent respectively, Geneva and Jura have higher-than-average joblessness, while unemployment rate in central and eastern cantons falls below 2 percent.

The highest rate is among young people up to 24 years of age (+3.7 percent), while unemployment among those between 50 and 64 has declined by 3.2 percent, according to SECO.

Unemployment highest among foreigners

The same SECO statistics show that while the jobless rate for the Swiss is 2 percent, it jumps to 4.8 percent among foreign nationals.

For the EU nationals employed in Switzerland, it is the highest for Eastern Europeans: 10.6 percent for citizens of Bulgaria, followed by Romanians (8.8 percent), and people from Slovakia (6.5 percent).

For those outside the EU, unemployment is highest for people from the Balkans: 7.8 percent for those from Kosovo and 7.1 percent for Macedonians.

The lowest unemployment among the non-EU group is among British citizens: 3.7 percent.

READ MORE: How can I have my foreign qualifications recognised in Switzerland?

Teleworking more popular among Swiss employees

Working from home, a practice which took hold during the pandemic, is seen favourably by most employees in Switzerland

According to a survey carried out by the GFS Institute, 89 percent of employees questioned believe that teleworking should be allowed in their company, in addition to on-site activity.

And 79 percent want to continue this system after the pandemic, while only 6 percent reject this option.

This preference is not one-sided: several large Swiss companies have decided to give their employees more flexibility in the organisation of working time to offer them a better work-life balance.

Among them are UBS and Credit Suisse banks, according to the survey.

READ MORE: ‘Home office’: Will the pandemic change the way Switzerland works?

Digital professions remain in high demand

Highly skilled computer workforce is scarce in Switzerland, but the demand for these services is high.

“It is currently almost impossible to find a mobile app developer”, Daniel Kaempf , co-founder and director of Darwin Digital, said in an interview.

To fill the gap, he believes that all sectors leading to digital transformation professions should be strengthened in Switzerland, which, for the time being, are limited and the career path is complex.

“At the moment, the best course is an engineering degree from a federal polytechnic or a university of applied sciences. Then, you have to supplement your knowledge with online training. And above all, you have to gain practice by working”, he said.

Did you know? Switzerland does not have a minimum wage

When compared to its European neighbours – or countries globally – Switzerland is known for its high salaries in almost all industry types.

Therefore, it is perhaps surprising to find out that the country does not have an officially mandated minimum hourly wage. 

After being first implemented in New Zealand and Australia in the 1890s, minimum wage laws have spread across the world. Most European countries have now put in place some form of minimum wage limit. 

In Switzerland, this has been done at a cantonal level, with five cantons now putting in place a minimum wage: Basel City, Ticino, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Jura. 

Zurich, Switzerland’s most populous canton, is also considering putting in place a minimum wage. 

READ MORE: Will Zurich introduce a minimum wage?

That does not however mean that your employer is free to pay you as much – or as little – as he or she wants. Instead, the minimum amount you can be paid will be determined through negotiations with your employer which will may feature a trade union representative. 

Whether this be an hourly amount or one which is set for full or part-time hours, setting a minimum standard in specific industries is a common way to ensure workers aren’t underpaid or unpaid. 

More information about the minimum wage in Switzerland can be found at the following link. 

Minimum wage in Switzerland: What you need to know

Useful links

Looking for a job in Switzerland or just want a little more information about working here, then check out the following links. 

The jobs roundup is new addition and we’d welcome any feedback or suggestions for areas it should cover. Please email us at [email protected]

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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

How much can you earn with a Swiss university degree?

Compulsory education ends in Switzerland at age 16, when students have a choice between going to a university or opting for a three-year vocational education and training (VET). Which of the two is most ‘profitable’ in terms of salaries?

Published: 9 May 2023 16:05 CEST
How much can you earn with a Swiss university degree?

While for many people around the world universities are seen as the best paths toward rewarding careers, Switzerland is a bit different in this regard.

After compulsory education, about two-thirds of Swiss students opt for a VET pathway, a dual-track programme that includes two days in a vocational school and three days getting an on-the-job training in their chosen sector.

VET includes a variety of fields such as business and commercial, administration, retail, tourism, construction, information technology, arts, wellness services, as well as various trades — in all, 230 professions, according to Educationsuisse platform.

The other one-third of graduating students choose to attend a university.

Yet there are significant differences in wages between VET and university graduates.

Let’s look at VET first.

On average, five years after completing the vocational training, employees can expect to earn about 5,270 francs a month.

However, wages differ based on sectors.

In the IT, for instance, the salary is 1,100 francs above this average.

People who completed apprenticeships in electricity and mechanical construction can expect to earn 5,445 francs after five years, followed by architecture and construction (5,425 francs); accounting, marketing, and office work (5,367 francs), and the social sector (5,349 francs).

Lowest wages — below 5,000 a month — are in the retail and “personal services” sector.

READ ALSO: Why is vocational training so popular in Switzerland and how much can I earn?

What about people with university degrees?

Based on figures from the Federal Statistical Office, there is a considerable difference between salaries of VET and university graduates. And within the latter group, wages vary depending on the kind of institutions the students attended. 

Switzerland has several kinds of higher education establishments: cantonal universities and two federal polytechnic institutes: one in Zurich (ETH) and the other in Lausanne (EPFL). They are considered the ‘highest’ educational institutions.

Graduates of these establishments can earn as much as 10,170 francs a month.

Next are universities of applied sciences (nearly 9,000 francs a month), teacher-training colleges (8,480), and other specialised schools (8,175).

What if you attended a foreign university?

If you didn’t study at a Swiss higher education institution or complete an apprenticeship here, you can have your foreign qualifications recognised in Switzerland — and earn an equivalent salary (wages are based on the job and your position; not on your nationality).

Whether you are coming from the European Union or not will play an important role in this process, as Switzerland has adopted the EU’s system of mutual recognition of professional qualifications. 

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