(11.06.2025) The Swiss worked more than 8 billion hours in 2024. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 0.1%, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
However, this apparent stability masks two opposing trends: while the number of jobs rose by 0.8%, the actual annual working time per job declined by 0.7%.
Between 2019 and 2024, the average weekly working time for full-time employees fell by 50 minutes, to 40 hours and 4 minutes. This decline was driven by a 13-minute reduction in overtime and a 31-minute increase in absences, while paid leave rose by 0.3 days to an average of 5.2 weeks per year.
Sectoral disparities remain pronounced. Agriculture reports the highest workload, at 44 hours and 35 minutes per week, followed by financial and insurance activities at 41 hours and 2 minutes. Health-related absences increased from 7.6 to 8.5 days per job between 2023 and 2024, with more than two-thirds of absences (66.8%) linked to health reasons.
In Switzerland, full-time employees work an average of four hours more per week than their counterparts in EU/EFTA countries. However, when considering the entire employed population, Switzerland recorded an actual weekly working time of 35 hours and 17 minutes – close to the European average of 35 hours and 32 minutes. This is largely due to the high share of part-time employment in Switzerland.
Last modification 11.06.2025
