The compensation is clearly higher than the median wage in high value-added activities such as the pharmaceutical industry (9694 francs, 8898.15 euros). The highest paid top executives are found in the pharmaceutical industry with 42,888 francs (39,367 euros, at today's exchange rate).
In 2014, the median salary for a full-time employee in Switzerland was 6,189 gross francs. Between 2012 and 2014, compensation increased by 1.2%, against +3.2% in 2010-2012.
Between 2008 and 2014, wage differences decreased from a factor of 2.8 to 2.6, indicates the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) in a note today.
The 10% of the lowest paid employees earned less than 4178 francs a month, while the 10% of the best paid ones received more than 10,935 francs, specifies the FSO.
There are important differences according to economic branches. Compensation is clearly higher than the median salary in high value-added activities such as insurance (8769 francs), research and development (9004 francs), financial services (9549 francs) or the pharmaceutical industry (9694 francs).
At the bottom of the salary scale we find the food industry (CHF 5,303), the retail trade (CHF 4,761), the hotel and restaurant sector (CHF 4,333) and personal services (CHF 3,910), indicates the FSO.
In the private sector as a whole, top managers, i.e. 10% of the best paid senior executives, earned more than 18,939 francs in 2014, against 23,444 in 2012, underlines the FSO. Again, the figures vary considerably according to the sectors. The highest paid top managers are found in the pharmaceutical industry with 42,888 francs.
In 2014, around 370,000 people were employed in Switzerland in 256,000 jobs (in full-time equivalents) at low wages, i.e. less than CHF 4,126 gross per month for a 100% job. The 67% were women.
The share of low-wage jobs decreased slightly, going from 10.1% in 2008 to 8.9% in 2014. The economic branch with the most low-wage presence was that of personal services (57.2%).
With a median salary of 6443 francs, employees of Swiss nationality earn globally more than their foreign colleagues (5730 francs), regardless of the type of residence permit.
However, if one considers positions with a high level of responsibility, it can be seen that the foreign workforce receives systematically higher wages than those paid to their Swiss colleagues. For example, frontier workers who occupy one of these posts receive 10,293 francs a month, while their confederate colleagues 9,732 francs.
Related news: Press release Statistics Switzerland
Ed: by "median" wage we mean the one received by the workers who are at the center of the wage distribution, ie the 50% of the workers; the average wage, on the other hand, takes into account all wages, including the maximums, and calculates the average.
