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How much do university graduates earn in Switzerland – and who earns the most?

Switzerland boasts some of the most competitive wages in the world. Here’s how much university graduates can expect to earn.

Published: 6 September 2021 14:08 CEST
How much do university graduates earn in Switzerland - and who earns the most?
How much do graduates earn in Switzerland? Photo by Good Free Photos on Unsplash

Switzerland is of course not a cheap country to visit, but for those who live here the wages usually offset the high cost of living. 

But while wages are high for almost all jobs and industries in Switzerland, those in the applied sciences are set to earn the most. 

READ MORE: How much should you save for a ‘comfortable’ retirement in Switzerland?

A study from FH Schweiz, an organisation which represents university graduates in Switzerland, shows just how lucrative a university degree can be. 

The study took into account graduates from Fachhochschulen, otherwise known as Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS). 

These universities specialise in particular applied sciences or other disciplines, such as art. 

How much do college graduates earn in Switzerland? 

The median salary for college graduates in Switzerland is CHF99,450, according to the findings. 

While graduates earn much more than those who have not graduated, not all graduate salaries are created equal. 

The location you work in and the industry type are two key factors, while gender also plays a role. 

Working in German-speaking Switzerland is likely to net you a higher wage than in the rest of the country, while the average salary of graduates in Zurich is the highest in the country at 108,000 francs per year. 

READ MORE: Will Zurich introduce a minimum wage?

Those in management roles earn between CHF101,000 and CHF133,000 per year. 

Around 30 percent of those surveyed work in management, with the remaining 70 percent in administrative or “lower management” positions. 

Almost everyone who took part in the survey – 97 percent – said they at least maintained their salary level since the previous survey in 2019, while 48 percent increased it. 

Differences in gender are significant, with men earning 10,000 per year higher than the average – and women earning on average 10,000 less. 

Men earn an average of 110,000 per year, while women earn 87,500 per year. 

FH Switzerland managing director Toni Schmid told Switzerland’s Watson newspaper this is due largely to where respondents work. 

“Almost half of the participating women work in the public sector, while three quarters of the men work in the private sector.”

The ages of the men and women who responded is also different. 

“The amount of men under 30 who responded is around 25 percent, while half of the women who responded are under 30” Schmid said. 

Men are also more likely to work in the more lucrative technology and information technology sector, while women are more likely to work in health. 

In which industries do graduates earn the most? 

The study showed that the industry plays a large role in the amount a graduate will earn.

On average, those in finance, insurance, pharmaceuticals and the chemical industry earn the most, with an average annual salary of CHF115,000. 

The average salary for people in management is 111,429 francs, followed by computer science and consulting, where the average is 110,000CHF. 

At the lowest end of the spectrum, artists in Switzerland earn an average of 66,667 per year – just over half of that of those in the top industry bracket. 

Graduates in health and social services earn an average of 84,500 in Switzerland. 

How does this stack up compared to the average salary in Switzerland? 

According to FSO’s Swiss Earnings Structure Survey of 2018, the last year for which official statistics are available, the median monthly wage in Switzerland is 6,538 francs.

Swiss salaries: How much do people earn in Switzerland?

This works out to 78,456 per year on average, including both graduates and non graduates.

There are of course major disparities in earnings among non-graduates. 

For instance, taxi drivers are one of the lowest paid industry types in Switzerland – earning 38,000 per month gross.

What do teachers earn in Switzerland – and where do they earn the most?

Who completed the study? 

The survey was completed by FH Schweiz and took into account the salaries of 13,000 graduates. The figures are based on salaries in 2021. 

The survey is conducted every two years. 

70 percent of those who participated were under 40, while 58 percent were male and 42 percent female. 

More information on the study can be found here. 

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Lost and found: where to look for your ‘missing’ items in Switzerland

In Switzerland, like in other countries, people sometimes lose their belongings in various places. Many ultimately find their way to their rightful owner.

Published: 19 April 2024 12:10 CEST
Lost and found: where to look for your ‘missing’ items in Switzerland

Unlike socks that disappear in the wash, never to see the light of day again (which is a global, rather than just Swiss phenomenon), many lost items often do reappear. 

The bigger the item is, the more chance there is of it being found.

But even smaller objects like keys are often returned to their owners — it all depends on who finds them and to what lengths these people are willing to go to ensure that lost items are returned to their owners.

(Human nature being what is it is, you have more chances of being reunited your keys than with your jewellery or a wallet that still has all its contents inside).

But you may be surprised to learn that cases of exemplary honesty still exist.

One such example, in 2022, involved an envelope containing 20,000 francs found lying on a sidewalk by passersby and returned to the man who dropped it while getting into his car. 

What are some of the more unusual things people leave behind?

Each year, Uber Switzerland publishes a list of things that passengers forget in cars. 

This year, among purses, cell phones, laptop computers, umbrellas, and pieces of jewellery, drivers found in the back seats items including a purple wig, carnival mask, coffee machine, and a spatula for crêpes.

The items found on trains are even stranger. 

They include, according to the national railway company SBB, taxidermy animals, an authentic samurai sword, and a prosthetic leg (it’s not clear whether this was a spare or whether the passenger had to hop off the train).

Where should you look for the items you lose in Switzerland?

It depends on where you think, or know, you left your belongings.

Public transport

If it’s on the train, file a lost property report here. 

For the PostBus, it’s here. 

Additionally, public transport companies in your community have their own ‘lost and found’ offices, as do local police stations.

Airports

Zurich 
Geneva 
Basel 

Additionally, to maximise your chances of being reunited with your lost property, report it here.

Through this site, you can also check whether your lost item has been found and handed in at one of the offices.

If your lost item is found, must you pay a ‘finder’s fee’?

Yes, Swiss legislation says so.

No exact amounts are specified, but “the reward should be appropriate in relation to the find,” according to Moneyland consumer platform.

In principle, “a finder’s fee equal to 10 percent of the amount returned to the owner is considered an appropriate reward.” 

Also, if the process of finding out who the lost object belongs to and returning it to you generates extra expenses for the finder (such as train fare or other travel costs, for example), you have to reimburse these expenses in addition to the reward.

(By the same token, if you find and return someone else’s belongings, you can expect the same compensation).

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