What you'll learn
- Country Introduction
- Tax Breakdown for Employers
- Statutory Leave Laws
- Minimum Wage and Working Hours
- Termination Process
- Additional Information
Switzerland is a landlocked country in central Europe, bordered by Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. The country is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura Mountains. Switzerland lies at the crossroads of Germanic and Romance Europe, which can be seen in its 4 main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The country has one of the highest costs of living in the world, as well as one of the highest nominal wealth per adult in the world.
Paid Leave and Statutory Leave
Parental Leave
Pregnant employees are entitled to 14 weeks of maternity leave (16 weeks for the Geneva canton), and at least 8 weeks must be taken after the birth. The employer pays 80% of the regular wages during the leave (up to CHF 196 per day). Employees must have contributed to social security for the 9 months before the birth and must have been actively employed for 5 months before the birth to be eligible for leave benefits. There is no mandated paternity leave, however most employers offer a few days of paid paternity/partner leave.
Sick Leave
Employees are entitled to paid sick leave in Switzerland, the amount of which depends on how long they have worked for the company. Employees receive 3 weeks of sick leave during their first year. Many employers take out a daily benefits insurance scheme where employees can receive 80% of their salary for a maximum of 720 days.
Paid Leave
There are 7 national holidays in Switzerland and employees are entitled to 4 weeks of paid leave per year (after finishing 1 year of employment at their company). Employees can also receive leave to care for an ill or injured child.
Wage Requirements and Working Hours
The minimum wage is CHF 20 per hour, and a standard workweek is 40 hours at 8 hours per day. Overtime work is regulated by the employment contract or collective agreements, and is usually paid at 125% of the regular salary rate.
Termination Process
Process
Switzerland technically does allow at-will employment, however most companies are cautious with their terminations and make sure to provide fair cause for any termination.
Notice Period
Notice periods are common in employment contracts, and usually range from 1 to 3 months depending on seniority and industry.
Severance Pay
Severance pay is not required unless stipulated in the employment contract.
Additional Information
While not required, it is very common for employers to pay a 13th-month salary bonus at the end of the year.
★ 7% - Pension
★ 5.28% - Social Security
★ 2.45% - Family Compensation Fund
★ 1.1% - Unemployment
★ 0.05% - Maternity Insurance
★ 0.07% - Early Childhood Fund
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Remote candidate
You've sourced a full-time employee or contractor located in a country where your company is not incorporated.
Cost Calculation
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It can be prohibitively expensive to establish an entity in every country you want to hire talent in, so Remofirst will hire and pay your employee on your behalf while you manage their daily duties. Remofirst will handle formal HR procedures and employment contracts that adhere to local laws, so that you can simply approve invoices via our platform. When you work with an Employer of Record (EOR) you can compliantly hire the best employees around the world.
Unlike full-time employees, contractors work on projects with multiple companies at a given time and are technically self-employed. Full-time employees are solely focused on their employer and usually receive benefits (such as health insurance, equity or stock options, and time off) as an additional form of compensation. While it can be cheaper to work with international contractors instead of paying benefits to a full-time employee, you run the risk of misclassification. It's recommended to work with an EOR for contractor onboarding and payments, so you can know that your international contractors are paid compliantly and on time.
