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Discover global hiring strategies from leading recruitment platforms
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Speed up your global expansion! Expand smartly in 150+ countries with the #1 rated EOR globally.
Explore Multiplier EOR
Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Switzerland.
Capital
Bern
Currency
Swiss Franc (CHF)
Languages
German, French, Italian, Romansh
GDP per Capita
$103,245.72
Employer Tax
8.07% - 23.4%
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
Switzerland holds the name for one of the world’s most advanced and highly-developed free-market economies. The service sector, along with tourism, are the major contributors to the economic growth of the country. Switzerland holds the 18th rank for Nominal GDP.
Major economic hubs:
Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Grindelwald
Skills in demand:
Local: 1
World : 52
Local: 2
World : 146
Local: 3
World : 165
Local: 4
World : 184
Local: 5
World : 225
3,820,000
Top Local Job Boards:
Top Local Job Boards
Number of LinkedIn users:
Number of LinkedIn users
Top Recruitment Agencies:
The table below mentions the salary data of some job titles with average salaries in Switzerland:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (CHF) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Sales Manager | 18,200 CHF | 21,201 USD |
| Information Technology Manager | 18,100 CHF | 21,085 USD |
| General Manager | 17,900 CHF | 20,852 USD |
| Business Development Manager | 17,500 CHF | 20,386 USD |
| Business Analyst | 12,700 CHF | 14,794 USD |
| Project Manager | 12,900 CHF | 15,027 USD |
| Developer | 9,460 CHF | 11,020 USD |
When onboarding an individual from Switzerland, the employer needs to have knowledge of the employment laws, benefits, and deductions. This section will cover much of that.
According to Swiss laws, employment contracts, written or not, are mandatory. The contract must mention all the details about the employer along with terms and conditions. The employment contract in Switzerland must be written in one of the four official languages in the country (German, French, Italian, Romansh).
The probationary period for employees ranges from 1 – 3 months.
| Date | Holiday | Cantons |
| January 2 | St. Berchtold’s Day | Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Vaud |
| January 6 | Three Kings Day | Lucerne, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri |
| March 1 | Republic Day | Neuchatel |
| March 19 | St Joseph’s Day | Lucerne, Nidwalden, Solothurn, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Valais |
| April 1 | Easter Monday | National except Neuchatel, Solothurn, Valais, Zug |
| April 4 | Näfelser Fahrt | Glarus |
| April 15 | Sechseläuten | Zurich |
| May 1 | Labour Day | Basel-Stadt, Zurich |
| May 1 | May day | Aargau, Basel-Land, Jura, Neuchatel, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino |
| May 19 | Whitsun | Bern |
| May 20 | Whit Monday | National except Neuchatel, Solothurn, Valais, Zug |
| May 30 | Corpus Christi | Aargau, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Graubünden, Ticino, Valais, Jura |
| June 23 | Juran Independence Day | Jura |
| June 24 | Solemnity Burgdorf | Burgdorf (Bern) |
| June 28 – 30 | Braderie | Biel / Bienne (Bern) |
| June 29 | Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s day | Graubünden, Ticino |
| August 15 | Assumption Day | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Solothurn, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| September 5 | Genfer Bettag | Geneva |
| September 9 | Knabenschiessen | Zurich |
| September 15 | Swiss Federal Fast | Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel- Land, Fribourg, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Schwyz, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Vaud, Valais, Zug |
| September 16 | Bettagsmontag | Geneva, Neuchatel, Vaud |
| September 22 | St Mauritius’ Day | Appenzell Innerrhoden |
| September 23 | Thuner Ausschiesset | Thun (Bern) |
| September 25 | Saint Nicholas of Flüe Day | Obwalden |
| November 1 | All Saints’ Day | Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St. Gallen, Aargau, Valais |
| December 8 | Immaculate Conception | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Graubünden, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Solothurn, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Vaud, Valais, Zug |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | Glarus |
| December 26 | St Stephen’s Day | National except Geneva, Jura, Neuchatel, Solothurn, Valais, Vaud, Zug |
| December 31 | New Year’s Eve | Glarus |
| December 31 | Refounding of the Republic of Geneva | Geneva |
| Type of Leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual/Earned Leave | 20 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 21 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 14 weeks | Yes |
Leave Compliance
Payroll cycle
The payroll cycle is Monthly in Switzerland.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage varies per canton(district) and ranges from 19.00 CHF to 24 CHF.
Overtime pay
The overtime must be compensated at a premium of 25% and must not exceed 2 hours a day.
| Category | Fund | Capital |
| Old age, survivors’ and disability insurance | 5.30% | No Cap |
| Unemployment Insurance | 1.10% | 148,200 |
| Supplementary Unemployment Insurance | 0.50% | Above 148,200 |
| Family Compensation Fund | 1% – 3% | No Cap |
| Occupational accident insurance | 0.17% – 13.5% | 148,200 |
| Occupational pension scheme | Depending on the pension plan, employer-specific | No Cap |
| Category | Fund | Capital |
| Old age, survivors’ and disability insurance | 5.30% | No Cap |
| Unemployment Insurance | 1.10% | 148,200 |
| Supplementary Unemployment Insurance | 0.50% | Above 148,200 |
| Non-occupational accident insurance | 1% – 4% | 148,200 |
| Occupational pension scheme | Depending on the pension plan, employer-specific | No Cap |
| Medical insurance | Depending on the coverage, private insurance | No Cap |
For Single Direct Tax Payers
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax on Minimum Amount (CHF) | Tax on excess (%) |
| 0 to 14,800 CHF | 0 | 0 |
| 14,800 to 32,200 CHF | 0 | 0.77 |
| 32,200 to 42,200 CHF | 133.95 | 0.88 |
| 42,200 to 56,200 CHF | 221.95 | 2.64 |
| 56,200 to 73,900 CHF | 591.55 | 2.97 |
| 73,900 to 79,600 CHF | 1,117.20 | 5.94 |
| 79,600 to 105,500 CHF | 1,455.75 | 6.60 |
| 105,500 to 137,200 CHF | 3,165.15 | 8.80 |
| 137,200 to 179,400 CHF | 5,954.75 | 11.00 |
| 179,400 to 769,600 CHF | 10,596.75 | 13.20 |
| Above 769,600 | 88,515.55 | 11.50 |
For Married/Single with Minor Children Direct Tax
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax on Minimum Amount (CHF) | Tax on excess (%) | |
| 0 to 28,800 CHF | 0 | 0 | |
| 28,800 to 51,800 CHF | 0 | 1% | |
| 51,800 to 59,400 CHF | 230 | 2% | |
| 59,400 to 76,700 CHF | 382 | 3% | |
| 76,700 to 92,000 CHF | 901 | 4% | |
| 92,000 to 105,400 CHF | 1,513 | 5% | |
| 105,400 to 116,900 CHF | 2,183 | 6% | |
| 116,900 to 126,500 CHF | 2,873 | 7% | |
| 126,500 to 134,200 CHF | 3,545 | 8% | |
| 134,200 to 139,900 CHF | 4,161 | 9% | |
| 139,900 to 143,800 CHF | 4,674 | 10% | |
| 143,800 to 145,800 CHF | 5,064 | 11% | |
| 145,800 to 147,700 CHF | 5,284 | 12% | |
| 147,700 to 912,600 CHF | 5,512 | 13% | |
| 912,600 CHF and Above | 104,949 | 11.5% | |
For Single Zurich Cantonal tax
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax on Minimum Amount (CHF) | Tax on excess (%) | |
| 0 to 6,700 CHF | 0 | 0 | |
| 6,700 to 11,400 CHF | 0 | 2% | |
| 11,400 to 16,100 CHF | 94 | 3% | |
| 16,100 to 23,700 CHF | 235 | 4% | |
| 23,700 to 33,000 CHF | 539 | 5% | |
| 33,000 to 43,700 CHF | 1,004 | 6% | |
| 43,700 to 56,100 CHF | 1,646 | 7% | |
| 56,100 to 73,000 CHF | 2,514 | 8% | |
| 73,000 to 105,500 CHF | 3,866 | 9% | |
| 105,500 to 137,700 CHF | 6,791 | 10% | |
| 137,700 to 188,700 CHF | 10,011 | 11% | |
| 188,700 to 254,900 CHF | 15,621 | 12% | |
| Above 254,900 CHF | 23,565 | 13% | |
For Married/Single with Minor Children Zurich Cantonal tax
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax on Minimum Amount (CHF) | Tax on excess (%) | |
| 0 to 13,500 CHF | 0 | 0 | |
| 13,500 to 19,600 CHF | 0 | 2% | |
| 19,600 to 27,300 CHF | 122 | 3% | |
| 27,300 to 36,700 CHF | 353 | 4% | |
| 36,700 to 47,400 CHF | 729 | 5% | |
| 47,400 to 61,300 CHF | 1,264 | 6% | |
| 61,300 to 92,100 CHF | 2,098 | 7% | |
| 92,100 to 122,900 CHF | 4,254 | 8% | |
| 122,900 to 169,300 CHF | 6,718 | 9% | |
| 169,300 to 224,700 CHF | 10,984 | 10% | |
| 224,700 to 284,800 CHF | 16,434 | 11% | |
| 284,800 to 354,100 CHF | 23,045 | 12% | |
| Above 354,100 CHF | 31,361 | 13% | |
Geneva Cantonal Tax
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax Rate (%) | |
| 0 to 17,697 CHF | 0 | |
| 17,697 to 21,322 CHF | 8% | |
| 21,322 to 23,454 CHF | 9% | |
| 23,454 to 25,586 CHF | 10% | |
| 25,586 to 27,719 CHF | 11% | |
| 27,719 to 33,049 CHF | 12% | |
| 33,049 to 37,313 CHF | 13% | |
| 37,313 to 41,578 CHF | 14% | |
| 441,578 to 45,842 CHF | 14.5% | |
| 45,842 to 73,561 CHF | 15.% | |
| 73,561 to 120,470 CHF | 15.5% | |
| 120,470 to 162,047 CHF | 16% | |
| 162,047 to 183,370 CHF | 16.5% | |
| 183,370 to 262,261 CHF | 17% | |
| 263,018 to 279,319 CHF | 17.5% | |
| 280,125 to 393,392 CHF | 18% | |
| 394,526 to 616,206 CHF | 18.5% | |
| More than 616,206 CHF | 19% | |
Switzerland levies a VAT ranging between 2.5% and 7.7%
In Switzerland, the 13th month’s pay is not mandatory however the employers may give incentive to their employees that is typically paid at the end of the year.
Swiss employees are entitled to benefits that their employers offer. Some of these are the following:
Switzerland practices the principle of freedom when choosing to terminate an employment contract. This means either party can terminate the contract – either on the grounds of statutory or notice period.
The notice period for termination for probationary employees ranges from 1 – 7 days and 1 – 3 months for regular employees.
There is no statutory provision for severance pay in Switzerland. However, an exception is specified for employees over 50 years old who have worked for the same company for 20 years. According to the Code of Obligations, they are entitled to 2 months worth of salary as severance pay.
There are two ways in which foreign workers may be allowed to work in Switzerland:
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Switzerland
