If the cost of living in Switzerland is among the highest in the world, the same can be said of the salaries. According to a comparative study conducted by UBS, Zurich, Basel and Geneva belong to the cities with the highest gross salaries worldwide.
However, the level of salaries varies very strongly depending on the economic sector. In certain branches, such as the financial and insurance sectors, salaries increased greatly during the economic upswing. Since then they have, however, been corrected downwards. If we consider the average of all the branches, real salaries have, in fact, risen only very slightly since the early 90s.
There is no statutory minimum wage in Switzerland. However, some GLAs stipulate minimum salaries, for example in the catering and hotel branches.
Agreed between the employer and employee on the signing of the employment contract, the gross salary represents the salary before the deduction of the compulsory social contributions such as the old-age, disability and unemployment insurance as well as occupational pension provision schemes (second pillar). The net salary is therefore 13-20% lower (before taxes and health insurance costs).
The salary calculator, compiled by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, will enable you to get a slightly more precise idea of the salary you can expect according to your qualifications and the professional branch you wish to work in.
Deductions
If a certain salary was agreed on the signing of your employment contract, this represents the gross amount from which the social contributions are still to be deducted. These are:
Please note that, with the exception of non-occupational accident insurance, the employer pays an equal part to your own contribution for each item mentioned above.
In contrast, the compulsory contributions to health insurance do not form part of the social contributions. In effect, they do not depend on income but vary depending on the insurer, the place of residence and the form of insurance chosen.
(Source: www.swissemigration.ch)
