This is how much the Swiss earn The median salary rises to CHF 7024 - but there's a catch
The Swiss median wage continues to rise. That sounds like good news. But the details show just how big the pay gap really is.
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- The median wage in Switzerland rose to CHF 7024 in 2024, but this only shows where the middle of the wage distribution lies - not whether the lowest wages are also rising.
- The pay gap remains wide: the bottom 10 percent earn less than CHF 4635, while the top 10 percent earn more than CHF 12,526.
- There are clear regional differences, for example between Zurich with a median of 7502 francs and Ticino with 5708 francs.
The median salary in Switzerland rose further in 2024 and now stands at CHF 7024 gross per month for a full-time position. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Tuesday.
But there is a catch: the median wage is not the average wage. It shows the middle of the wage distribution. One half of the working population earns more, the other half less. The median therefore says nothing about whether lower wages are also rising.
10 percent earn less than 4700 francs
According to the FSO, the median wage in 2022 was still CHF 6,788. Since then, it has risen by a good 3 percent. At the same time, the wage gap remains wide according to the wage structure survey: the 10 percent with the lowest wages earn less than CHF 4635 per month, while the 10 percent with the highest wages earn more than CHF 12,526.
The Federal Office 2024 defines a low-wage job as a full-time job with a gross salary of less than 4683 francs. Such jobs account for 10.8 percent of all jobs - practically the same as in previous years. The salary pyramid has hardly shifted overall since 2008, the office notes. Although the wages of the bottom 10 percent have risen slightly more than those at the top since then, the proportion of low-paid jobs has remained stable.
One in three receives an average bonus of 12,000 francs
Additional payments further reinforce the differences: around a third receive a bonus, averaging just under CHF 12,000 per year. In certain sectors, senior management receive bonuses in the five- to six-figure range, particularly in the finance and insurance sector.
Salaries also vary from region to region. In the Zurich region, the median salary is CHF 7502, in Ticino it is CHF 5708. The highest 10 percent earn over 13,970 francs in Zurich and a good 10,000 francs in Ticino.