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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Where are Switzerland’s biggest international companies?

You may think that the biggest Swiss urban centres are also home to the country’s largest companies. But that is not necessarily so.

Published: 14 November 2022 16:43 CET
Updated: 29 November 2023 14:06 CET
Where are Switzerland’s biggest international companies?
Nestlé headquarters in Vevey, Vaud. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Perhaps you believe that Switzerland’s main activity is centred on banks, watches, cheese, chocolate, and not much else.

While this view fits in well with many stereotypes about the country, it does not depict the whole picture.

In fact, Switzerland is home to a large number of international companies: in all, 850 have based their global or regional head offices here.

READ MORE: Why Switzerland continues to attract foreign companies despite the coronavirus pandemic

The reason, according to Switzerland Global Enterprise, the official promotion organisation for export and investment, is that “Switzerland offers an exceptional number of advantages: a strategic location in the heart of Europe, a high standard of living and secure and reliable infrastructure, as well as an attractive taxation system”.

But though logic may have it that most of these enterprises are headquartered in large cities like Zurich, Geneva, and Basel, this is only partially true.

Let’s see where the largest companies are located in Switzerland:

Vaud

Switzerland’s largest company, Nestlé — which manufactures a wide range of products, including baby food, bottled water, cereal, and chocolate — has a sprawling presence in a small (population about 20,000) town of Vevey.

Located on the shore of Lake Geneva in Vaud, the town is also known as the place where Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life, and whose mansion is now a museum dedicated to his work.

Other big multinationals headquartered in Vaud are cigarette producer Philip Morris International, which employs 3,000 people in Lausanne, as well as Medtronic, a global producer of medical devices, whose European headquarters (and 750 employees) are located in a village of Tolochenaz.

Basel

Two large Swiss healthcare companies — Roche and Novartis — are based in this city, which is unofficially known as the pharma capital of Switzerland.

Roche employs 13,6000 people in its core diagnostics and pharmaceutical divisions, while 8,000 people work on Novartis’ site, to which the company refers to as a “campus.”

READ MORE: Is Basel the best Swiss city for foreigners and Geneva the worst?

Zug

The tiny canton of Zug has a high concentration of multinational companies, the largest of which is the mining giant, Glencore.

Other well-known corporations in the canton are appliance manufacturer Siemens, as well as a healthcare firm Johnson & Johnson.

What large companies are located in the two largest cities, Zurich and Geneva?

Among corporations that call Zurich their “home” are the  Swedish-Swiss multinational automation company ABB, AXA insurance company, UBS and Credit Suisse banks, and the Swiss division of Google.

What about Geneva?

Aside from some private banks, as well as Rolex watches, Geneva is also headquarters to multinationals like grain trader Cargill International and Procter & Gamble consumer goods.

Do any of these companies hire foreign nationals?

Part of the workforce in each of the above companies consists of foreign nationals.

Your best bet to be hired by one of them — aside from qualifications needed for specific positions — is to be a EU / EFTA national, or have either a B or C work permit. Those criteria, however, apply to all jobs in Switzerland.

If you want to see what positions are available, and how much they pay, you can check out each company’s website or you can send the recruitment department your CV to put on file.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How to write the perfect Swiss CV

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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Six ways working in Switzerland is better than in the US

Sometimes it is difficult to compare different systems because much of the context is missing. But when looking at employment conditions in Switzerland and the United States from a purely factual perspective, some conclusions can be drawn.

Published: 14 June 2024 14:23 CEST
Six ways working in Switzerland is better than in the US

In terms on politics, social system, demographics, and economy, Switzerland and America are, both literally and figuratively,  worlds apart.

But if you are a US citizen who is moving to Switzerland for professional reasons (and lucky enough to be granted a work permit as a third country national), then you may want to know how the Swiss employment system compares with the American one.

Let’s look at general differences — that is, laws and practices applicable to the working population as a whole, and not just relating to the most fortunate employees like top-level executives, who typically have more benefits than the rank-and-file workers.

Wages

Much depends on your professional level, of course, but generally speaking, on average employees in Switzerland earn more than their US counterparts.

An average annual income in Switzerland is about 80,000 francs, while in the US it amounts to $59,428 (53,000 francs).

You may argue that cost of living is lower in the United States, so the money foes further there. This is true in a general sense, but on the other hand, taxes are lower in Switzerland.

Workers in Switzerland have more statuary protections

Swiss law grants certain rights to its employees, which the US legislation doesn’t.

For instance, Swiss workers are entitled to at least four weeks’ of paid vacation time per year.  

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about annual leave in Switzerland

In the US, on the other hand, there is no statutory minimum paid vacation. Instead, this is left up to the employers’ discretion.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about one–third of private industry workers received 10 to 14 days of paid vacation after one year of service. After 10 years of service, 33 percent of private industry workers received between 15 and 19 days of paid vacation.

‘Sick days’

Swiss employment law only mandates that employers offer basic paid sick leave: generally, three weeks in your first year in the job, rising with each additional year to around four months max, depending on the canton.

However, many Swiss employers take out insurance that covers a more generous sick pay deal.

In the US, on the other hand, no law guarantees workers a single paid day off, and many aren’t even entitled to unpaid time.

According to BLS, only 77 percent of the private sector workforce has paid sick time. This means that almost one in four workers do not have even a single paid sick day. 

Work-life balance

This phrase is used to describe a division of time between work and leisure activities. This means the ability to successfully combine work, family commitments, and personal life .

Here too, Switzerland (and Europe in general) has a definite edge.

The Better Life Index by the Organisaton for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), found that  “in Switzerland, full-time workers devote a similar amount of their day on average to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) as the OECD average of 15 hours.”  

 In the US, on the other hand, employees devote “less than the OECD average of 15 hours” to their non-work related activities.

Health insurance

Most US residents who are employed get their health insurance through their company.

In Switzerland, on the other hand, individuals are responsible for purchasing their own policies from one of the dozens of insurance providers.

It is difficult to say which approach is better; however, not having one’s health insurance tied to (and dependent on) a specific employer means that a person won’t be left without a coverage if he or she loses their job — even more so, considering how expensive medical care is in the United States.

READ ALSO: How does Switzerland’s healthcare system compare with the US? 

Unemployment benefits

If you have worked — and paid into the Swiss social security system — for 12 months in the past two years, you are entitled to 260 days (approximately 37 weeks) worth of unemployment allowance.

In the case that you had been employed for at least 18 months, you will collect for 400 days.

Workers in most US states, on the other hand, are eligible for only 26 weeks of unemployment allowances.

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