(03.09.2025) Between 2011 and 2023, almost 770,000 jobs were created in Switzerland, mainly in the services sector, according to the latest Structural Business Statistics (STATENT) from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
In the primary sector (agriculture), an average of around 1,100 jobs per year disappeared between 2011 and 2023, bringing employment below 50,000 in 2023. By contrast, the secondary sector (industry and construction) grew steadily during this period, with average annual employment growth of 0.4%.
The tertiary sector further strengthened its role in the Swiss economy. In 2023, services accounted for 77% of jobs, compared with 74% in 2011. Only four out of 30 branches declined, including postal and courier services (-17.8%), financial services (-9.6%) and publishing, audiovisual and broadcasting (-4.7%). By contrast, social work without accommodation (+55.6%), auxiliary financial and insurance services (+55.3%), and information technology and information services (+54.6%) recorded strong growth.
Several industrial branches also showed robust development: the pharmaceutical industry created 17,000 additional jobs (+45.2%), watchmaking nearly 15,000 (+13.7%), and water supply and waste management more than 4,700 (+30.1%). In contrast, employment fell in the manufacture of electrical equipment (-8,000 jobs / -22.3%) and in the wood and paper industry (-14,575 / -19.5%).
Geographically, the STATENT report shows that the Lake Geneva and Zurich regions together created almost 350,000 additional jobs between 2011 and 2023. All cantons recorded employment growth. The strongest increases were in Zug (+28.3%), Vaud (+21.4%), Schwyz (+20.8%), Geneva (+20.7%) and Jura (+20.5%), compared with the national average of 16%.
Last modification 03.09.2025
