Hire in Switzerland

Switzerland is a country located in Central Europe, known for its beautiful lakes, villages, and the high peaks of the Alps. Banking and finance are Switzerland’s key industries, and Swiss watches and chocolates are also key features that make this country recognizable. The total area of the country is 41,285 square kilometers distributed across 26 cantons, making it the 135th largest country in the world. The country borders Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. The city of Zurich is the largest in the country with about 1,000,000 inhabitants. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial center.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Switzerland.

Onboard your talent in Switzerland

in 10 minutes

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Fast-track your talent onboarding while ensuring 100% compliance with local regulations.

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Guidance & payroll management

Receive process support by an experienced team of experts & pay your talent on time and in their local currency

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Hire in Switzerland through an

EOR

Easily onboard your remote talent in Switzerland through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.

A quick overview of Switzerland

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Cost of living index

$$$$ (2 of 139 nations)

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Currency

Swiss Franc (CHF)

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Payroll frequency

Monthly

Basic facts

Switzerland is a country located in Central Europe, known for its beautiful lakes, villages, and the high peaks of the Alps. Banking and finance are Switzerland’s key industries, and Swiss watches and chocolates are also key features that make this country recognizable. The total area of the country is 41,285 square kilometers distributed across 26 cantons, making it the 135th largest country in the world. The country borders Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. The city of Zurich is the largest in the country with about 1,000,000 inhabitants. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial center.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Switzerland.

Capital

Bern (de facto capital)

Official language/s

French, German, Italian, and Romansh. English is widely spoken.

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Population

8.849 million (2023 est.)

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VAT - standard rate

7.7%

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.

January 1New Year’s Day
January 2St Berchtold's DayAG, BE, FR, GL, JU, LU, OW, SH, TG & VD
January 5EpiphanyGR, LU, SZ, TI & UR
March 19St Joseph's DayGR, LU, NW, SZ, TI, UR & VS
April 18Good FridayMovable; National except TI & VS
April 21Easter MondayMovable; National except NE, SO, VS & ZG
May 1Labor DayBL, BS, JU, LU, NE, SH, SO, TG, TI & ZH
May 29Ascension DayMovable
June 9Whit MondayMovable; National except NE, SO, VS, & ZG
June 19Corpus ChristiMovable; National except AR, BL, BS, BE, GE, GL, NE, SH, SG, TG, VD & ZH
August 1Swiss National Day
August 15Assumption DayMovable; AG, AI, FR, JU, LU, NW, OW, SO; SZ, TI, UR, VS & ZG
November 1All Saints' DayNational except AR, BL, BS, BE, GE, GR, NE, SH, TG, VD & ZH
December 8Immaculate ConceptionMovable; AG, AI, FR, GR, LU, NW, OW, SZ, TI, UR, VS & ZG
December 25Christmas Day
December 26St. Stephen’s DayNational except GE, JU, NE, SO, VS, VD & ZG

The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Switzerland is 2 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

  • Switzerland operates a ‘labor leasing license’ setup, meaning that the ‘temporary/third party employer’ must hold the necessary labor license. The license dictates that the employer must hold a direct contract with the end-user customer, the company that is controlling and managing the worker. 
  • Non-Swiss recruitment agencies cannot legally recruit a Swiss client without holding a labor leasing license. This is regardless of the worker’s nationality. There are two types of labor leasing licenses:
    • Cantonal, for use in specific Swiss cantons,
    • Federal, for use across the whole of Switzerland.

 

Benefits Employer Contribution
OASI (Old Age and Survivor’s Insurance)

Disability insurance (DI) 

4.35%

0.70%

Unemployment Insurance  1.1%
Supplementary Unemployment Insurance 0.5%
Family Compensation Fund 1-3%
Occupational accident insurance 0.17 to 13.5%

 

Working Hours

Under Swiss law, the maximum weekly working hours for industrial workers, office staff, technicians, and other employees are set at 45 hours. The limit for all other workers is 50 hours per week. Most employees work between 40 and 42 working hours per week. 

An employee is entitled to breaks of the following minimum duration:

  • 15 minutes with a daily working time of more than 5.5 hours;
  • 30 minutes with a daily working time of more than seven hours;
  • One hour with a daily working time of more than nine hours.

 

Overtime

Extra hours accrue when working hours exceed the statutory maximum number of working hours per week (45 to 50 hours depending on the sector). Extra hours:

  • May not exceed two hours per day.
  • May not exceed 170 hours per calendar year (based on a 45-hour week) or 140 hours (based on a 50-hour week).
  • Must be compensated with a premium of at least 25% if they are not compensated with time off within a specified period.

For employees working in large retail undertakings, office staff, technical employees, and others, including the sales staff, the employer shall pay overtime wage only where overtime work exceeds 60 hours in a calendar year.

Probation Period

The probation period for open-ended contracts lasts one month, but the employer may offer a shorter or longer probation period (up to a maximum of three months). In this case, the employee and the employer must have a written agreement. 

 

Termination Notice Period

A seven-day period of notice before termination is served during probation.

At the end of the probationary period, an employment contract may be terminated with effect from the end of any month, subject to:

Employment duration Notice period
1st year of service             1 month
2nd to 9th year of service             2 months
More than 9 years of service             3 months
Working Hours

Under Swiss law, the maximum weekly working hours for industrial workers, office staff, technicians, and other employees are set at 45 hours. The limit for all other workers is 50 hours per week. Most employees work between 40 and 42 working hours per week. 

An employee is entitled to breaks of the following minimum duration:

  • 15 minutes with a daily working time of more than 5.5 hours;
  • 30 minutes with a daily working time of more than seven hours;
  • One hour with a daily working time of more than nine hours.

 

Overtime

Extra hours accrue when working hours exceed the statutory maximum number of working hours per week (45 to 50 hours depending on the sector). Extra hours:

  • May not exceed two hours per day.
  • May not exceed 170 hours per calendar year (based on a 45-hour week) or 140 hours (based on a 50-hour week).
  • Must be compensated with a premium of at least 25% if they are not compensated with time off within a specified period.

For employees working in large retail undertakings, office staff, technical employees, and others, including the sales staff, the employer shall pay overtime wage only where overtime work exceeds 60 hours in a calendar year.

Probation Period

The probation period for open-ended contracts lasts one month, but the employer may offer a shorter or longer probation period (up to a maximum of three months). In this case, the employee and the employer must have a written agreement. 

 

Termination Notice Period

A seven-day period of notice before termination is served during probation.

At the end of the probationary period, an employment contract may be terminated with effect from the end of any month, subject to:

Employment duration Notice period
1st year of service             1 month
2nd to 9th year of service             2 months
More than 9 years of service             3 months

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Benefits Employer Contribution
OASI (Old Age and Survivor’s Insurance)

Disability insurance (DI) 

4.35%

0.70%

Unemployment Insurance  1.1%
Supplementary Unemployment Insurance 0.5%
Family Compensation Fund 1-3%
Occupational accident insurance 0.17 to 13.5%