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Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Switzerland: the labour market
Labour force is 5.2m (2025), 84th of 187 in the world and 18th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 66.7% (2025), 48th of 187 in the world and 6th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 62.2% (2025), 35th of 187 in the world and 5th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Switzerland
Participation rate
SwitzerlandEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Switzerland in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 5.2m2025 | 84/187 | 18/49 | 4.0m | 4.4m | 5.0m | +7.4%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 66.7%2025 | 48/187 | 6/49 | 67.3% | 67.0% | 68.0% | −1.5 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 62.2%2025 | 35/187 | 5/49 | 57.6% | 60.0% | 62.6% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 63.5%2025 | 47/187 | 6/49 | 65.5% | 63.8% | 64.7% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.9%2025 | 105/187 | 31/49 | 2.7% | 4.8% | 4.8% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.0%2025 | 109/187 | 32/49 | 3.1% | 5.2% | 5.0% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 9.0%2025 | 128/187 | 42/49 | 4.8% | 8.2% | 8.6% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 7.0%2025 | 157/170 | 37/46 | 5.8% | 8.5% | 8.6% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 83.1%2025 | 51/187 | 31/49 | 82.0% | 84.3% | 85.7% | −1.9 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 9.6%2025 | 152/187 | 31/49 | 13.9% | 11.5% | 9.3% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 2.2%2025 | 156/187 | 39/49 | 4.6% | 3.6% | 2.5% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 19.6%2025 | 85/187 | 31/49 | 24.7% | 22.1% | 20.4% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 78.2%2025 | 28/187 | 11/49 | 70.7% | 74.3% | 77.1% | +2.3 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Youth NEET rate−2.4 pp7.0% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−0.7 pp9.6% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−0.1 pp62.2% in 2025
- Employment rate−1.4 pp63.5% in 2025
- Unemployment+0.1 pp4.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.1 pp5.0% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Switzerland and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Switzerland. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Switzerland | Germany | France | Italy | Austria | Liechtenstein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 5.2m2025 | 43.5m2025 | 31.9m2025 | 25.7m2025 | 4.8m2025 | — |
| Participation rate | 66.7%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 49.3%2025 | 60.1%2025 | — |
| Women's participation | 62.2%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 51.5%2025 | 40.8%2025 | 55.1%2025 | — |
| Employment rate | 63.5%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 51.2%2025 | 46.2%2025 | 56.8%2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 4.9%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 5.6%2025 | — |
| Female unemployment | 5.0%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 5.2%2025 | — |
| Youth unemployment | 9.0%2025 | 6.9%2025 | 18.9%2025 | 20.5%2025 | 11.0%2025 | — |
| Youth NEET rate | 7.0%2025 | 8.2%2025 | 11.0%2025 | 9.9%2025 | 13.4%2025 | — |
| Wage workers | 83.1%2025 | 91.9%2025 | 86.7%2025 | 78.9%2025 | 87.8%2025 | — |