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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Public holidays: What days will you get off work in Switzerland in 2024?

Switzerland has many official public holidays at the national, cantonal, and regional level. Here's what to know to plan your long weekends and getaways in 2024.

Published: 17 November 2023 16:03 CET
Updated: 4 February 2024 07:29 CET
Public holidays: What days will you get off work in Switzerland in 2024?
Switzerland has public holidays on a national, cantonal and regional level. Image by Clickphoto Switzerland from Pixabay.

In Switzerland, public holidays and the days that are treated as public holidays (with the exception of August 1st), are set by the cantons.

Only a few public holidays will give everyone a day off work throughout Switzerland.

Here are the public holidays for 2024, including where and why some Swiss celebrations are observed.

National Holidays

January 1st, Monday – New Year’s Day

August 1st, Thursday – Swiss National Day, Switzerland’s only national public holiday, commemorates the founding of the Swiss Confederation.

May 9th, Thursday – Ascension day

Ascension day is synonymous with the German and Austrian holiday Christi Himmelfahrt and commemorates Jesus’s ascension to heaven. Find out more about how (and where) it is celebrated in Switzerland in The Local’s article on the topic.

December 25th, Wednesday – Christmas Day

Cantonal Holidays

January

January 2nd, Tuesday – Berchtold’s Day (celebrated in Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug, and Zurich)

January 6th, Saturday – Three King’s Day (Ephiphany)

 According to Western belief, Epiphany refers to the three wise men from the who were led to Jesus by the Star of Bethlehem and historians assume that the Epiphany festival, or Dreikönigstag, has existed in Switzerland since 1311.

READ MORE: Dreikönigstag: How does Switzerland celebrate ‘Three Kings Day’

March

March 1st, Friday – Republic Day

Republic Day – a Swiss regional public holiday – is marked each year on March 1st in Neuchâtel when the canton celebrates becoming a republic within the Swiss Confederation.

March 19th, Tuesday – St Joseph’s Day (marked in Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, and Valais)

March 29th, Friday – Good Friday (National, except Ticino and Valais)

April

April 1st, Monday – Easter Monday (National, except Neuchatel, Solothurn, Valais, Zug)

April 4th, Thursday – Näfels Ride (celebrated in Glarus)

April 15th, Saturday – Sechseläuten (celebrated in Zurich)

May

May 1st, Wednesday – Labour Day (International Workers’ Day)

Though people in Zurich, Basel–Stadt, Basel–Land, Jura, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Thurgau and Ticino are granted a full day off work, in Aargau and Solothurn, workers are usually only given a half day off (from 12noon).

In some cantons, such as Freiburg and St. Gallen, a half day is usually given to cantonal workers on Labour Day.

May 20th, Monday – Whit Monday (every canton, except Valais)

May 30th, Thursday – Corpus Christi (celebrated in Aargau, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Ticino, Valais, and Jura)

June

June 23rd, Sunday – Jura Independence Day

June 29th, Saturday – Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (celebrated in Ticino)

August

August 15th, Thursday – Assumption Day (holiday in Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Valais and Zug. And it is a holiday in some municipalities in Aargau, Basel-Country, Freiburg, Graubündern, and Soluthurn)

September

September 5th, Thursday – Jeûne genevois (Geneva Thanksgiving)

September 9th, Monday – Knabenschiessen (Traditional shooting competition held only in Zurich)

September 15th, Sunday – Swiss Federal Feast (National, except Geneva and Zug)

September 16th, Monday – Lundi du Jeûne federal (Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer in Vaud)

September 25th, Wednesday – Saint Nicholas of Flüe Day (celebration of the patron saint of Switzerland in Obwalden)

November

November 1st, Friday – All Saints’ Day

Those who work in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden, St. Gallen, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Valais, and Zug will get to enjoy an entire day off work.

Those working in other regions may still be entitled to a half-day off. Read on here to find out where in Switzerland that is the case.

December

December 8th, Sunday – Immaculate Conception Day (celebrated in Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Solothurn, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Vaud, and Zug)  

December 26th, Thursday – St Stephen’s Day (National, except Geneva, Jura, Valais, and Vaud).

December 31st, Tuesday – Restoration Day (celebrated in Geneva)

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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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