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How much can you expect to be paid in certain professions in Switzerland?

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Published: 11 April 2024 17:01 CEST
How much can you expect to be paid in certain professions in Switzerland?
Zurich (pictured) and Geneva rank among the world's most expensive places to live - but do Swiss salaries make up for it? Photo: Anncapictures / Pixabay

Thanks to a strong economy and the ability to weather many of the economic storms of the past few years, there is an increased focus on the alpine nation as a destination for job seekers. 

A new report released by financial services company Conotoxia provides a fresh look at the average monthly salaries for Switzerland’s most significant job sectors, and the monthly costs that new arrivals can expect. 

A commanding advantage

The good news is that Swiss workers enjoy a commanding salary advantage over many of their neighbours. 

Conotoxia, which based its report on figures from Switzerland’s Federal Statistics Office states: “Switzerland is renowned for its high labour standards and competitive salaries. The average annual salary is 78,000 CHF or around €79,500.”

In comparison, the most recent figures from Eurostat, dating from 2022, place the average annual salary across the European Union at €33,500. 

Wages in Switzerland do vary depending on the region and the specific position.

READ MORE: Which job sectors in Switzerland employ the most foreign workers?

Medical and IT are the strongest earners

Switzerland’s booming pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors – most visible in the country’s ‘Health Valley’ stretching between Geneva and Bern – have led to doctors and those with direct medical experience expecting to earn Switzerland’s highest monthly salaries. 

Doctors, for example, can expect to earn an average of 8,000 CHF to 15,000 CHF monthly, whereas pharmacists can expect a monthly paycheque of between 7,000 CHF and 10,000 CHF.

With IT providing the backbone to many of Switzerland’s other industries—particularly banking—it is no surprise that programmers, developers, and system administrators can expect a sizeable monthly salary. 

READ MORE: Which Swiss companies have the biggest gaps between high and low earners?

On average, IT professionals should earn between 7,000 CHF and 12,000 CHF. 

Of course, those in the banking sector can also expect an excellent monthly salary. Conotoxia lists roles such as financial analyst earning between 7,000 CHF and 11,000 monthly – with salaries trending towards the higher end in Zurich, the country’s financial capital.

Other professions listed were as follows: electricians (5,200 CHF), pharmacists (7 to 10,000 CHF) hotel managers (5 to 8,000 CHF) University lecturers (6 to 10,000 CHF) sales managers (6,500 to 9,500 CHF) logistics specialists (5,500 to 8,000 CHF) and mechanical engineers (6,500 to 9,000 CHF)

A higher cost of living

Higher salaries, however, result in a higher cost of living for those coming to Switzerland from abroad. 

Rents in Switzerland are among the highest in Europe and can range between 1,000 CHF for a studio apartment and 3,000 CHF for a larger apartment, especially in larger cities such as Geneva and Zurich, which are classed as among the world’s most expensive cities to live in. 

READ MORE: Why are Zurich and Geneva among the world’s most expensive cities?

While essential utilities are not the most expensive in Europe, they are undoubtedly high. 

According to the report, those living in Switzerland can expect to pay between up to 250 CHF a month for power, gas and water. 

However, according to the quality of life database Numbeo, this is still well below the most expensive European country, Austria, where the average monthly cost of utilities is €335.69, and Germany, at €321.45. 

The report also found that the average monthly cost of groceries was between 600 and 800 CHF, depending on the time of year. 

READ MORE Can a family in Switzerland live well on a median salary?

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Which professions in Switzerland are harder for foreigners to break into?

In many sectors of Switzerland’s economy, Swiss employees prevail over foreign ones — and vice-versa.

Published: 15 May 2024 14:40 CEST
Which professions in Switzerland are harder for foreigners to break into?

In the past, the ‘division of labour’ in Switzerland was clear: foreign nationals held mostly manual (and therefore lower-paid) jobs, while the Swiss worked in managerial / executive and other middle and high positions.

Many sectors still follow these traditional roles, with some jobs held almost exclusively by Swiss citizens, and others by foreign nationals.

Which jobs are mostly held by the Swiss?

To find this out, the Basel-based consultancy firm, Demografik, surveyed professions with more than 10,000 employees.

It found that “about 60 percent of the country’s masons and flooring installers are foreign-born,” Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), reported.

The comparable figure among the country’s unskilled workers as a whole is even higher —  84 percent.

“Swiss nationals also make up only a third of kitchen assistants and cleaning staffers” — jobs typically held by immigrants with no higher education or vocational training.

On the other hand, Swiss citizens hold a number of jobs that are almost unattainable for unskilled foreign nationals, including police officers, teachers, lawyers, senior administrative staff, and social workers.

Only a small percentage of immigrants work in these professions.

However, they dominate fields such as service staff, chauffeurs, unskilled industrial workers, and construction — jobs where very few Swiss can be found.

Why is this?

“The proportion of foreign workers is highest in jobs that are generally considered unappealing – whether because of the low pay, high level of physical demands or irregular working hours,” said Demografik economist Lisa Triolo.

“Nevertheless, these professions are important for the functioning of the economy, because they are difficult to automate.”

Triolo also found that foreigners mainly work in areas where recruiting employees has been difficult.

“The longer the vacancy period in an occupational group, the higher the proportion of foreigners,” she pointed out.  “For example, construction is the sector in which companies take the longest to fill an open position.”

Is this survey objective?

It is, if you focus primarily on unskilled foreign workers, who basically take on jobs that the Swiss don’t want.

The picture is different, however, if you include skilled professionals into the mix.

Many of them hold the same positions, and earn equal or even higher wages, than their Swiss counterparts.

READ ALSO: In which jobs in Switzerland do foreign workers earn more than the Swiss? 

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