Free movement for EU/EFTA citizens, unemployment of 4.9% (EU: 6.0%) and a legal maximum of 45–50 working hours a week. There is no national minimum wage, but five cantons have one – in Geneva CHF 24.59 an hour in 2026. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and which permit and registration steps you need.
Swiss employers are hiring: in the second quarter of 2026 companies reported 98,700 vacancies, and 33.9% of them said they had difficulties recruiting qualified staff (Federal Statistical Office). Vacancies in industry and construction rose by 21.8% in a year, while those in services fell by 2.4%.
The SME portal of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) reports, based on the Swiss Job Market Index (Adecco and University of Zurich), the strongest growth in job ads in the second quarter of 2026 for:
Where competition is stronger: for occupations with an unemployment rate of 5% or more, employers must first report vacancies to the public employment service, and jobseekers registered with a regional employment centre (RAV) get a head start. In 2026 this applies, for example, to cleaning and auxiliary staff, cooks and unskilled construction workers.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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