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.
Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Grindelwald
Engineers, Skilled Technicians, Software Developers, and other IT professions, Mechanic and Welders
The top local universities in Switzerland with world rank:
Local: 1
World : 52
Local: 2
World : 146
Local: 3
World : 165
Local: 4
World : 184
Local: 5
World : 225
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 |
3,820,000
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 | Name | Type |
| 1 Jan | New Year’s Day | Common local holiday |
| 2 Jan | Berchtold Day | Common local holiday |
| 6 Jan | Epiphany | Common local holiday |
| 1 Mar | Republic Day | Common local holiday |
| 19 Mar | Saint Joseph’s Day | Common local holiday |
| 29 Mar | Good Friday | Common local holiday |
| 1 Apr | Easter Monday | Common local holiday |
| 4 Apr | Näfels Procession | Common local holiday |
| 1 May | May Day | Common local holiday |
| 1 May | May Day (Half-Day) | Half Day Holiday |
| 9 May | Ascension Day | Common local holiday |
| 20 May | Pentecost Monday | Common local holiday |
| 30 May | Corpus Christi | Common local holiday |
| 23 Jun | Jura Independence Day | Common local holiday |
| 1 Aug | Swiss National Day | National holiday |
| 15 Aug | Assumption of Mary | Common local holiday |
| 5 Sep | Genevese Fast | Common local holiday |
| 16 Sep | Federal Fast Monday | Common local holiday |
| 22 Sep | Mauritius Day | Common local holiday |
| 25 Sep | St. Nicholas of Flüe | Common local holiday |
| 1 Nov | All Saints’ Day | Common local holiday |
| 8 Dec | Immaculate Conception | Common local holiday |
| 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Common local holiday |
| 26 Dec | St. Stephen’s Day | Common local holiday |
| 31 Dec | Restoration Day | Common local holiday |
| Type of Leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual/Earned Leave | 28 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 21 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 14 weeks | Yes |
The payroll cycle is Monthly in Switzerland.
The minimum wage varies per canton(district) and ranges from 19.00 CHF to 24 CHF.
The overtime must be compensated at a premium of 25% and must not exceed 2 hours a day.
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:
| 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 17,800 CHF | 0 | 0 |
| 17,800 to 31,600 CHF | 0 | 0.77 |
| 31,600 to 41,400 CHF | 131.65 | 0.88 |
| 41,400 to 55,200 CHF | 217.90 | 2.64 |
| 55,200 to 72,500 CHF | 582.20 | 2.97 |
| 72,500 to 78,100 CHF | 1,096 | 5.94 |
| 78,100 to 103,600 CHF | 1,428.60 | 6.60 |
| 103,600 to 134,600 CHF | 3,111.60 | 8.80 |
| 134,600 to 176,000 CHF | 5,839.60 | 11.00 |
| 176,000 to 755,200 CHF | 10,393.60 | 13.20 |
| Above 755,200 | 86,848 | 11.50 |
For Married/Single with Minor Children Direct Tax
| Annual Taxable Income | Tax on Minimum Amount (CHF) | Tax on excess (%) | |
| 0 to 30,800 CHF | 0 | 0 | |
| 30,800 to 50,900 CHF | 0 | 1% | |
| 50,900 to 58,400 CHF | 226 | 2% | |
| 58,400 to 75,300 CHF | 376 | 3% | |
| 75,300 to 90,300 CHF | 833 | 4% | |
| 90,300 to 103,400 CHF | 1,483 | 5% | |
| 103,400 to 114,700 CHF | 2,138 | 6% | |
| 114,700 to 124,200 CHF | 2,816 | 7% | |
| 124,200 to 131,700 CHF | 3,481 | 8% | |
| 131,700 to 137,300 CHF | 4,081 | 9% | |
| 137,300 to 141,200 CHF | 4,585 | 10% | |
| 141,200 to 143,100 CHF | 4,975 | 11% | |
| 143,100 to 145,000 CHF | 5,184 | 12% | |
| 145,000 to 895,900 CHF | 5,412 | 13% | |
| 895,900 CHF and Above | 103,040 | 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 17,748 CHF | 0 | |
| 17,749 to 21,383 CHF | 8% | |
| 21,384 to 23,522 CHF | 9% | |
| 23,523 to 25,660 CHF | 10% | |
| 25,661 to 27,798 CHF | 11% | |
| 27,799 to 33,144 CHF | 12% | |
| 33,145 to 37,421 CHF | 13% | |
| 37,422 to 41,698 CHF | 14% | |
| 41,699 to 45,975 CHF | 14.5% | |
| 45,976 to 73,773 CHF | 15.% | |
| 73,744 to 120,817 CHF | 15.5% | |
| 120,818 to 162,514 CHF | 16% | |
| 162,515 to 183,898 CHF | 16.5% | |
| 183,899 to 263,017 CHF | 17% | |
| 263,018 to 280,124 CHF | 17.5% | |
| 280,125 to 394,525 CHF | 18% | |
| 394,526 to 617,982 CHF | 18.5% | |
| More than 617,982 CHF | 19% | |
Switzerland levies a VAT ranging between 2.5% and 7.7%
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:
