Job search in Switzerland: find the best job boards here
Have you already prepared your move to Switzerland, but you still need to find a job? Here are some practical tips for your job search, and an overview of job boards in Switzerland.
22.09.2023
iStock/RgStudio
1. General working conditions in Switzerland
Although Switzerland is the direct neighbour of Austria, Germany, Italy and France, there are still some differences in terms of working conditions when compared to the EU. Here’s an overview:
It’s difficult to make a blanket statement about salaries in Switzerland. Important: your salary is usually negotiable.
Even though Swiss employers are required by law to pay the same salaries to women and men for comparable work, the average salaries of women are still lower than those of men at all levels.
According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, the average time worked by full-time employees in Switzerland was 41.7 hours in 2022. The number of hours you work depends on your employer, your position and the industry you’re in. Working hours are usually defined in your employment contract.
Swiss law limits working hours to a weekly maximum of 45 hours for industrial workers, office workers, technical staff, and other employees such as sales and marketing professionals and sales assistants.
For all other employees, the maximum working hours are 50 hours per week. Switzerland therefore differs significantly from some of its neighbouring countries, such as Germany, where an eight-hour day is protected by law, or Austria, which has a 40-hour week.
According to Swiss law, all employees and apprentices are entitled to a minimum amount of holiday per year. The minimum yearly amount is:
Five weeks for employees up to 20 years of age.
Four weeks for employees over 20 years of age.
2. Useful job boards in Switzerland
These job boards allow you to find current vacancies from Swiss companies, and might be helpful in your job search:
alpha.ch is a Swiss job portal for specialists and executives.
careerjet.ch is a job search website for Switzerland (only available in German). It saves you the trouble of visiting each page separately.
jobagent.ch provides useful job search tools, a job hunting guide, career checklists and many expert tips (not available in English).
Jobmarket is another Swiss employment website offering executive and specialist positions.
Jobrapido lists hundreds of thousands of vacancies from job markets, recruitment agency platforms and corporate websites.
According to its own statement, jobs.ch publishes 18,000 new job ads per week. This makes the platform one of the most comprehensive job boards in Switzerland.
jobscout.ch is a Swiss job board with thousands of open positions.
jobtic.ch is an online recruitment platform that lists job vacancies, provides job-seeking advice and publishes articles on vocational training.
jobwinner.ch offers a comprehensive selection of job vacancies in all industries and regions of Switzerland.
monster.ch is an internationally known job platform that also advertises jobs in Switzerland.
ostjob.ch and zentraljob.ch are local recruitment portals for Eastern and Central Switzerland.
stellenanzeiger.ch is one of the largest job market websites in Switzerland.
Tietalent specializes mainly in jobs in IT and digital marketing. They also offer a free recruiting team to help you find a job.
workpool-jobs.ch displays over 70,000 job ads from all sectors in Switzerland (only available in German).
3. Specialist job boards
If you already have a specific profession in mind, you can find specialist job boards for positions in Switzerland here. Comparis tip: when looking for a job, also use LinkedIn. The platform has its own job listings. Plus, you might be able to find something through your contacts – or through contacts of your contacts.
academics.ch features the largest selection of vacancies in science, research and development (only available in German).
arch-forum.ch is an independent online platform created by and for architects (only available in German).
Designerdock is specialized in advising and helping specialists and executives find jobs in the communications sector.
Gulp is an online recruitment site for IT freelancers offering information and services relating to IT projects (only available in German).
ictcareer.ch publishes vacancies in the field of information and communication technology.
medienjobs.ch is aimed at specialists and executives in the Swiss media and communications industry (only available in German).
SwissDev Jobs is a Swiss job portal for software developers of all experience levels.
Experteer is a career service for highly qualified professionals in Switzerland and Europe supported by over 4,200 top recruitment consultants. It features 12,000 job vacancies with salaries starting at CHF 120,000.
Powersearch specializes in the recruitment of specialists and executives.
jobwatch.ch is a job search website for job-seekers and employers in the watch, microtechnology and luxury industries.
Weblaw is Switzerland’s leading recruitment website for legal professionals (not available in English). It’s designed for law firms, universities, courts, cantons and federal offices.
math-jobs.ch offers jobs in the fields of mathematics and statistics.
myScience is the job market site for scientists, researchers and job seekers in the field of engineering.
professional.ch specializes in further education and jobs for young professionals (only available in German).
QM Personal is a job board dedicated to positions in quality management (only available in German).
sozjobs.ch is a job search website dedicated to social and health professions.
4. Recruiters for the Swiss labour market
You can also contact recruiters or headhunters to help you find a job. This does not incur any costs. If you are in the talent pool of service providers, they can look for suitable job offers for you in Switzerland.
Tip: you can find current vacancies at Comparis here.
This article was first published on 26.01.2011