Figures on SMEs: Companies and jobs

SMEs make up over 99% of the companies and create two-thirds of the jobs in Switzerland. Here are the key statistics.

SMEs, i.e. companies with less than 250 employees, make up over 99% of commercial companies in Switzerland and create two-thirds of the jobs in the country. This is shown by the Structural Business Statistics (STATENT) of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Number of companies and jobs according to size

Commercial companies in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in 2023.

Average number of employees per SME

The STATENT focuses on the three economic sectors:

  • The primary sector, which covers agriculture, forestry and fishing
  • The secondary sector, which covers extractive and manufacturing industries, production and distribution of electricity, gas and water, and construction
  • The tertiary sector, which covers services such as retail trade, wholesale trade, restaurants and even telecommunications

Here is the total number of SMEs (commercial enterprises with 1 to 249 employees) by sector in 2023:

Here is the average number of employees per SME in 2023:

Number of SMEs and employees per region

Commercial enterprises with 1 to 249 employees in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in 2023.

Commercial enterprises with 1 to 249 employees in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in 2023.

The “Others” category encompasses the Swiss branches of companies domiciled abroad, companies established under Swiss law, and foreign companies.

Historical development of the number of companies

The number of jobs is increasing slightly less rapidly for SMEs than for all commercial enterprises.

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