Switzerland
Make employment in Switzerland easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Switzerland, all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Company name
- Remote Consulting Services Switzerland GmbH
- Address
Dammstrasse 19, Zug, Zug CH-6300
- switzerland@remote.com
- Phone
- +41445056361
- Capital City
Bern
- Currency
Swiss franc (Fr, CHF)
- Languages
German (Swiss-German), Romansh, French, and Italian
- Population size
8,693,242
Facts & Stats
- Capital City
Bern
- Currency
Swiss franc (Fr, CHF)
- Languages
German (Swiss-German), Romansh, French, and Italian
- Population size
8,693,242
- Ease of doing business
Very easy
- Cost of living index
$$$$ (2 of 139 nations)
- Payroll frequency
Monthly
- VAT - standard rate
7.7%
- GDP - real growth rate
0.9%
Known for its high quality of life, beautiful nature, and highly educated population, Switzerland is home to talented workers in a variety of industries. As a country with one of the highest costs of living in the world, it’s also a place where salaries tend to match. People in Switzerland often speak multiple languages, so communication is rarely difficult. Come to Switzerland to find your next team member, then stay for the beautiful scenery (and the chocolate).
Grow your team in Switzerland with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Switzerland? Companies hiring in Switzerland must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider to maintain compliance with Swiss employment regulations.
Remote's global employment services in Switzerland can grow your local team. The Remote platform is purpose-built to handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for all of your Swiss team members. You can also pay contractors now in Switzerland with Remote.
Risks of misclassification
Switzerland, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Switzerland may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Switzerland
Swiss employment law provides strong protections for workers. In addition, salaries in Switzerland are some of the highest in the world, so companies must be prepared to pay a premium for top talent.
Non-EU or EFTA citizens must acquire work permits to work in Switzerland. The Swiss government has strict standards about who qualifies for a work permit, with some skills weighted more heavily than others.
To employ workers or contractors in Switzerland, contact Remote to learn more about your options.
Minimum Wage
Switzerland does not have a national minimum wage, although a few cantons set their own laws regarding minimum worker compensation. Collective bargaining agreements within industries often substitute for legislation on a minimum wage for workers, though the Swiss government often revisits the subject.
Payroll Cycle
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly installments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Switzerland fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is often 8 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
4 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR in Switzerland: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in Switzerland
Remote supports our clients by offering competitive benefits packages that will help you attract and retain the best talent across the globe. Our benefits specialists have done the research on norms and requirements in each local market and have crafted packages that will allow your employees to thrive, no matter what country they call home.
Our benefits packages in Switzerland are tailored to fulfil the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Local market insights
Remote's core benefits offering (which often include healthcare provisions) are required in most countries of our operations. We do not require customers to offer benefits in Switzerland due to its strong public system and local laws that protect employers against claims of non-discriminatory hiring practices. However, we do recommend that employers in Switzerland offer benefits to their employees based on market standards. Note that Remote does not add a markup on any benefits premiums or administration costs.
For more insight into fair equity and benefits best practices, download our Global Benefits Guide and share with the rest of your hiring team.
Taxes in Switzerland
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Switzerland.
3.5-9%
BVG (pension)
5.125%
AVS (social security)
1.2-3.6%
FAK (Family Compensation Fund)
1.1%
ALV (unemployment) on salary up to CHF 148,200
0.5%
ALV (unemployment) on salary above CHF 148,200
Varies - UVG (accident insurance)
0.043%
Maternity insurance
0.07%
Early childhood fund
11.038-19.438%
Total Cost of Employment
Types of leave
Employees 20 years old and above receive at least four weeks of paid time off per year. Employees younger than 20 years old are entitled to five weeks. Employees are also entitled to paid time off for public holidays in the canton in which they live.
Employment termination
Termination process
On paper, Switzerland does practice at-will employment, in which the employer or employee may end the relationship at any time for any reason. However, most companies are more cautious regarding terminations and do provide fair reasoning for any termination. It is important for employers of workers in Switzerland to maintain accurate documentation of termination processes.
Notice period
While Switzerland has at-will employment, notice periods are common in employment contracts. Notice periods generally range from one to three months depending on seniority, tenure, and industry. Notice period must be at least one month for employee who has worked for a year or more.
Severance pay
Severance pay is not required in Switzerland, unless stated in the employment contract or the employee is over the age of 50 and has worked for the same employer for more than 20 service years.
Probation periods
Probationary periods in Switzerland usually last from one to three months.
Fair Pricing in Switzerland
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at $599/month
for annual plans
Top features
Satisfaction guaranteed
No deposits or hidden fees
Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting
Built-in security and compliance
Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
Flexible, localized benefits
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Remote Payroll
Consolidate your multi-country payroll
$50
per employee/month
Top features
Reduce costs by centralizing payroll management
Ensure local compliance for every country
Direct support from in-house local payroll experts
Accurate, on-time, compliant payroll to level-up your employee experience
Tax and labor authority reporting handled for you
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Time and attendance (time off and tracking)
Expense management and reimbursement
Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app