Working in Switzerland: A weekly roundup of the latest job news
Find out all the latest information related to jobs in Switzerland with The Local's weekly roundup of relevant news.
Where the jobs are: The construction sector
After a slowdown in 2020, Switzerland’s construction industry is quickly recovering.
One sign of this positive development and bright prospects for the future is that construction companies are looking for apprentices to be trained for future positions.
To encourage people to learn this trade, professional associations highlight “an extremely dynamic labour market, as well as opportunities for career development and higher education”.
“It's a very interesting job. You don't have to be an expert, but you still have to have some knowledge of mathematics”.
In case you are wondering about wages is in this industry, they are based on skills, such as building engineer, mason, etc.
On average, however, construction workers earn over 62,000 francs a year, though it can be less or more, based on specialisation.
Important requirement for jobs in Switzerland: knowledge of languages
Being monolingual nowadays, especially in a multilingual country like Switzerland, has become a serious professional handicap.
Recruitment experts stress that finding a good job in Switzerland depends (apart from skills) on how many languages a candidate knows and how fluently.
“Companies are increasingly using recruitment firms to find multilingual candidates, especially those who speak French, English and especially German", said Annalisa Job (yes, this is really her name), spokesperson for the Adecco Switzerland group.
Some companies make vaccinations obligatory for employees
Even though Swiss law does not allow employers to impose Covid vaccinations on their employees, some companies have already started to do so.
Swiss airline, for instance, has made inoculations compulsory for cabin crews starting from November 15th.
And y Geneva's University Hospitals (HUG) announced that all medical personnel hired from September 1st will have to be vaccinated.
“We have an obligation to protect patients, staff and visitors. The hospital is safe, but we can further increase that security", HUG director Bertrand Levrat said.
Teleworking is not an option for everyone
An increasing number of employees in Switzerland would like to continue working from home, at least some of the time.
While a number of Swiss companies is making it possible, this option is not open to everyone.
For instance, it automatically excludes people whose presence in the physical workplace is necessary.
This includes apprentices, since they must legally be supervised throughout their training period, as well as junior employees who need hands-on experience to be able to develop their skills.
“In this context, teleworking will never be established on a full-time basis. On the other hand, it should easily be able to be set up one to two days a week, or even three in certain sectors”, according to employment experts.
Did you know? Most companies in Switzerland pay wages to their employees based on a 13-month system.
The 13-salary system is not part of the Swiss labour law, though majority of employers use it.
When you get hired by a company that uses the 13-salary system, it means that your annual earnings are calculated on, and paid out in,13 instalments rather than 12.
Some companies don’t pay a 13th month’s salary but will pay higher monthly wages instead.
Your annual income will still be the same, it just depends on how it is divided – by 12 or 13.
You can find out more about this system here:
EXPLAINED: What is the 13th salary in Switzerland and how is it calculated?
Useful links
Looking for a job in Switzerland or just want a little more information about working here, then check out the following links.
How to find English language jobs in Switzerland
Everything you need to know about annual leave in Switzerland
Getting fired in Switzerland: The employment laws you need to know about
The jobs roundup is new addition and we’d welcome any feedback or suggestions for areas it should cover. Please email us at [email protected]
See Also
Where the jobs are: The construction sector
After a slowdown in 2020, Switzerland’s construction industry is quickly recovering.
One sign of this positive development and bright prospects for the future is that construction companies are looking for apprentices to be trained for future positions.
To encourage people to learn this trade, professional associations highlight “an extremely dynamic labour market, as well as opportunities for career development and higher education”.
“It's a very interesting job. You don't have to be an expert, but you still have to have some knowledge of mathematics”.
In case you are wondering about wages is in this industry, they are based on skills, such as building engineer, mason, etc.
On average, however, construction workers earn over 62,000 francs a year, though it can be less or more, based on specialisation.
Important requirement for jobs in Switzerland: knowledge of languages
Being monolingual nowadays, especially in a multilingual country like Switzerland, has become a serious professional handicap.
Recruitment experts stress that finding a good job in Switzerland depends (apart from skills) on how many languages a candidate knows and how fluently.
“Companies are increasingly using recruitment firms to find multilingual candidates, especially those who speak French, English and especially German", said Annalisa Job (yes, this is really her name), spokesperson for the Adecco Switzerland group.
Some companies make vaccinations obligatory for employees
Even though Swiss law does not allow employers to impose Covid vaccinations on their employees, some companies have already started to do so.
Swiss airline, for instance, has made inoculations compulsory for cabin crews starting from November 15th.
And y Geneva's University Hospitals (HUG) announced that all medical personnel hired from September 1st will have to be vaccinated.
“We have an obligation to protect patients, staff and visitors. The hospital is safe, but we can further increase that security", HUG director Bertrand Levrat said.
Teleworking is not an option for everyone
An increasing number of employees in Switzerland would like to continue working from home, at least some of the time.
While a number of Swiss companies is making it possible, this option is not open to everyone.
For instance, it automatically excludes people whose presence in the physical workplace is necessary.
This includes apprentices, since they must legally be supervised throughout their training period, as well as junior employees who need hands-on experience to be able to develop their skills.
“In this context, teleworking will never be established on a full-time basis. On the other hand, it should easily be able to be set up one to two days a week, or even three in certain sectors”, according to employment experts.
Did you know? Most companies in Switzerland pay wages to their employees based on a 13-month system.
The 13-salary system is not part of the Swiss labour law, though majority of employers use it.
When you get hired by a company that uses the 13-salary system, it means that your annual earnings are calculated on, and paid out in,13 instalments rather than 12.
Some companies don’t pay a 13th month’s salary but will pay higher monthly wages instead.
Your annual income will still be the same, it just depends on how it is divided – by 12 or 13.
You can find out more about this system here:
EXPLAINED: What is the 13th salary in Switzerland and how is it calculated?
Useful links
Looking for a job in Switzerland or just want a little more information about working here, then check out the following links.
How to find English language jobs in Switzerland
Everything you need to know about annual leave in Switzerland
Getting fired in Switzerland: The employment laws you need to know about
The jobs roundup is new addition and we’d welcome any feedback or suggestions for areas it should cover. Please email us at [email protected]
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.