Principais conclusões​​ 

A população da Suíça de 8.9 milhões é uma combinação de suíços, alemães, franceses, italianos, portugueses e kosovanos. Cada cantão utiliza a mesma moeda nacional — o franco suíço. Os principais setores incluem finanças e bancos, equipamentos médicos e engenharia.​​ 

Leis fiscais corporativas favoráveis e acessibilidade cultural são dois motivos pelos quais muitas multinacionais se expandem para a Suíça. Nosso guia lhe dirá tudo o que você precisa saber sobre contratação na Suíça.​​ 

O que você precisa saber antes de contratar alguém na Suíça.​​ 

What to know before hiring in Switzerland?​​ 

Se você está expandindo seus negócios para a Suíça pela primeira vez, há importantes requisitos legais que você precisa conhecer. Essas normas e leis influenciam as práticas de contratação na Suíça.​​ 

If you’re unsure where to begin, G-P Gia™, our AI-powered global HR agent, can answer your toughest compliance questions across 50 countries — including Switzerland — and all 50 U.S. states. Reduce your reliance on outside counsel and cut the time and cost of compliance by up to 95% with Gia.​​ 

Vamos analisar oito coisas que você precisa saber sobre contratação na Suíça.​​ 

1. Estatutos relativos às relações entre empregadores e empregados​​ 

Todas as relações entre empregador e empregado devem obedecer às seguintes leis:​​ 

A Suíça reconhece os sindicatos desde que estes cumpram todos os requisitos legais.​​ 

2. Cantões na Suíça​​ 

Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons. Though they all fall under the Swiss national umbrella, they’re powerful entities on their own. Each canton has unique traditions and culture. They also have their own ways of self-governing, including laws, constitutions, and governmental structure.​​ 

When hiring employees in Switzerland, be aware of the canton you’re advertising your position in. Candidates’ canton-of-residency will give you insight into translation expectations, tax rates to include in your employment contracts, and considerations on which holidays they are entitled to.​​ 

As comunas — órgãos governamentais menores localizados dentro de cada cantão — determinam como as contratações são feitas na Suíça.​​ 

3. O mercado de trabalho na Suíça​​ 

More than 5 million people are active in the Swiss labor market. The employment rate is 80.6%. For comparison, the EU rate is 75.8%. Workers are highly skilled and hold degrees from higher learning institutions. In terms of early childhood education and secondary schools, the Swiss education system varies between cantons. The IMD World Talent Ranking 2024 named Switzerland the #1 country for fostering homegrown talent in the world.​​  

4. Línguas na Suíça​​ 

Multilingualism is a core component of Swiss culture, largely due to the Languages Act. This act recognizes German, French, Italian, and Romansh as national languages. German, French, and Italian are also the official languages of the Confederation. Romansh is used officially in communications with Romansh speakers. Roughly two-thirds of the country’s residents speak more than one language. Swiss children learn at least two of the national languages during their early education years.​​ 

O alemão suíço é a língua mais falada em todos os cantões. O francês é comum nos cantões ocidentais e o italiano no sul. O romanche é uma língua menos falada que deriva do povo rético, antigos habitantes da região dos Alpes. Alguns cantões e grupos demográficos também possuem seus próprios dialetos e expressões coloquiais.​​ 

Todos os contratos de trabalho, entrevistas e atribuições devem levar em consideração o idioma nativo do entrevistado ou do funcionário. É uma boa prática traduzir todos os documentos e contratar um intérprete quando necessário.​​ 

5. Horário de trabalho e períodos de descanso​​ 

The Swiss Labor Act regulates working hours and time off laws. The maximum workweek is 45 hours for employees in industrial enterprises, office staff, technical personnel, and sales staff in large retail companies. For all other employees, it’s 50 hours. Daily working hours, including breaks and overtime, shouldn’t exceed 14 hours. In practice, the typical working time in Switzerland is 12.5 hours.​​  

Horas extras só são permitidas em circunstâncias extraordinárias. Deve ser compensado com um acréscimo salarial 25% ou tempo de folga equivalente. Os funcionários devem ter pelo menos 11 horas consecutivas de descanso por dia. Isso pode ser reduzido para 8 horas uma vez por semana, desde que o descanso médio ao longo de duas semanas seja de pelo menos 11 horas. Os trabalhadores têm direito a uma pausa contínua de pelo menos 35 horas por semana, incluindo o domingo.​​  

Employees are entitled to three weeks of sick leave within the first year of employment with a company. Each canton has its own paid time off and sick leave restrictions.​​  

Pregnant employees get 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and fathers are entitled to two weeks of paternity leave.​​  

Regardless of their canton, every employee gets four weeks of vacation time each year, or five if the employee is 20 or younger. Employees and employers can negotiate additional time off in their contracts if desired.​​  

Cantons have their own local and public holidays. National Day on August 1 is the only federal holiday. If National Day falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, it’s common to give employees a long weekend. Switzerland also celebrates New Year’s Day, Easter, and Christmas Day, but specific regulations for those times vary between employers. Employees can choose extra salary instead of taking a paid holiday.​​ 

6. Contratos de trabalho​​ 

Employees can be temporary, agency-supplied, part-time, or full-time. The first month of employment is considered the probationary period. You can extend this to a maximum of three months in your employment contract. If at any point you choose to end the working relationship, you must give at least a seven-day notice.​​  

Os contratos de trabalho não são obrigatórios, mas são comuns e altamente recomendados, visto que alguns termos só têm validade legal se estiverem por escrito. Os contratos são vinculativos. Os empregadores não podem descumprir os termos do contrato acordado. A Suíça possui diversas leis para proteger os sindicatos e certos trabalhadores, como mulheres e menores de idade. Os empregadores são obrigados a ter uma carta por escrito detalhando a data de início, a função do cargo, o salário e o número de horas que os funcionários trabalharão por semana.​​ 

Indefinite contracts are common in Switzerland. “Chain” contracts are viewed unfavorably by Swiss courts. Chain contracts are a series of fixed-term contracts initiated back-to-back with the same employee. The practice can be considered an abuse of rights if used to circumvent the protections of permanent employment, such as job security and notice periods. Once the last day of the contract is finished, the employee-employer relationship is over, with no notice required.​​ 

You and your team member can agree upon an equal duration for giving a departure or termination notice. This notice shouldn’t be less than one month in the first year of employment, and two months for every length of employment up to nine years. Three months is customary beyond that. You can’t terminate employees if they’re pregnant, ill, or on maternity leave. You only need to pay severance if employees are 50 or older and have worked for you for 20+ years.​​ 

G-P EOR has an Employment Contact Generator to help you draft compliant employment contracts when you hire employees in Switzerland that meet all legal requirements and best practices.​​ 

7. Remuneração e benefícios​​ 

The Swiss Federal Act on Gender Equality (GEA) requires all companies with 100 or more employees to conduct an internal audit to ensure pay equality is enforced.​​ 

Switzerland doesn’t have a single federal minimum wage. Minimum pay obligations can come from cantons or municipalities, CBAs, or employment contracts for specific sectors. Otherwise, pay is set by contract and market practice. Employees are paid once at the end of the month.​​  

Statutory overtime includes time worked over the maximum number of legal working hours. Statutory overtime is different from contractual overtime and is only permitted during day or evening shifts on workdays. It must be compensated with a wage supplement of at least 25%.​​  

Os funcionários também podem optar por tirar um período de folga em vez de receber o aumento salarial. O trabalho extraordinário legal nunca deve exceder duas horas por dia e nunca pode exceder 170 horas para semanas 45horas ou 140 horas para semanas de trabalho 50horas. Algumas exceções podem ser concedidas em casos de emergência.​​ 

Employers typically pay 80% — with a yearly limit — of an employee’s salary if they have suffered a work-related injury. The amount may differ depending on the industry or specific insurance plan. Employers are responsible for establishing a social security relationship between their employees and their canton’s social security office. Social security includes contributions to Maternity Leave Insurance (MSE), Disability Insurance (DI), Child Benefits Insurance (FZ), and pension, or Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI). Social security rates are 6.4% for the employer and 6.4% for the employee.​​ 

Bonuses and 13th-month salary are not required but are common. Employers may award bonuses contractually or at their discretion. Note that Switzerland has strict bonus guidelines for the financial industry. This is to prevent excessive risk-taking and ensure that compensation practices don’t undermine financial stability.​​ 

If an employee has been with your company for longer than three months, works at least eight hours each week, and meets income requirements, they can participate in an employer-sponsored pension fund. The current minimum for AHV pension is CHF 1,260. Employers are also responsible for accident insurance.​​  

You can easily administer benefits plans with G-P EOR. Our in-house experts continuously monitor employment laws to meet country-specific regulations and norms. Build and manage benefits plans through our platform to provide a smooth employee experience.​​  

8. Impostos​​ 

Switzerland's federal income tax rate is progressive, with a maximum rate of 11.5% for the highest income bracket. It's important to note that cantonal and municipal taxes also apply. This can greatly impact your total tax amount, depending on where you’re based. The federal VAT rate is 8.1%.​​ 

9. Equality, data privacy, and recruitment practices​​ 

Recruitment and employment practices have to comply with the Federal Gender Equality Act. This prevents direct and indirect gender-based discrimination across the employment lifecycle, including:​​ 

Employers have to make sure equal pay for work of equal value. Objective, job-related criteria for recruitment, compensation, promotion, and termination decisions have to apply.​​ 

Employers with 100 or more employees in Switzerland need to do an internal equal pay analysis using a scientifically valid method. Analysis has to be independently verified and the results communicated to employees within the required timeframe. This is separate from the general equal pay obligation for all employers.​​ 

Candidate personal data has to be collected and processed in accordance with Swiss data protection requirements. This includes the Federal Act on Data Protection and the employment-specific limits in the Swiss Code of Obligations. Recruitment data has to be:​​ 

Background checks can only be done when proportionate, job-relevant, and properly disclosed.​​ 

Hiring models for global companies in Switzerland​​ 

The best model when you decide to hire employees in Switzerland depends on your overall business goals.​​  

Modelo​​  Ideal para​​  Key points​​  Principais riscos​​ 
Registro direto do empregador​​  Hiring in Switzerland without a local entity.​​  Register with Swiss social security and tax authorities. Run Swiss payroll. Manage permits, benefits, and employment compliance.​​  High admin burden. Cantonal process differences. Risk of payroll, tax, or permit errors.​​ 
Employer of Record, like G-P EOR​​  Fast process to hire in Switzerland without setting up an entity.​​  EOR is the legal employer. Provider manages payroll, benefits, and contracts. Have to be properly licensed for staff leasing.​​  Unlicensed provider risk. Less direct control. Clients can still have workplace and supervision duties.​​ 
Subsidiary or branch​​  Long-term operations in Switzerland.​​  Creates a formal local presence. Supports direct hiring and local management. Best for larger or permanent teams.​​  Higher setup and maintenance cost. More corporate, tax, payroll, and HR compliance duties.​​ 
Contratado independente​​  Short-term, specialist, project-based work.​​  Contractors have to work independently. Use deliverable-based terms. Verify self-employed status where possible.​​  Misclassification risk. Back social security and tax exposure. Employment rights can apply retroactively.​​ 
 

Principais polos de contratação na Suíça​​ 

Some Swiss cities are known for particular industries. Knowing what each city has to offer can help you channel your hiring efforts to the right place and fill roles faster when you hire in Switzerland.​​  

 Os principais polos de talento na Suíça são:​​ 

Principais setores industriais na Suíça​​ 

Understanding Switzerland’s main industries helps you benchmark salaries and benefits when hiring employees in Switzerland. You can use this insight to make smart choices about where to invest and grow your workforce.​​  

 Os principais setores industriais da Suíça incluem:​​ 

Custo de contratação de um funcionário na Suíça​​ 

Cost of hiring in Switzerland​​ 

Whether you’re hiring one employee or an entire team, the process of hiring in Switzerland comes with inevitable expenses.​​  

Budget for the following:​​ 

According to Gia, the total annual employer burden rate in Switzerland, which includes costs triggered on top of salaries, is between 10% and 20% of gross salary. Rates will depend on the employee’s salary, industry, and canton. Gia leverages G-P’s 13+ years of global employment experience, along with insights from almost a million real-world scenarios, to provide accurate, up-to-date employment law information.​​ 

Que tipo de contratação uma empresa precisa fazer na Suíça?​​ 

EU/EFTA vs. non-EU/EFTA workers​​  

Thanks to the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), hiring citizens from EU/EFTA member states involves few administrative hurdles. Employers don’t need to give priority to local Swiss workers or justify why an EU/EFTA candidate was selected. For short-term contracts (up to 90 days per calendar year), companies only need to submit an online notification before the employee begins work. For longer arrangements, the employee registers with their local Swiss commune of residence to get a residence/work permit (such as an L or B permit). This gives them immediate access to the Swiss labor market.​​ 

Non-EU/EFTA nationals​​ 

Hiring candidates from non-EU/EFTA countries (including the UK and U.S.) is more regulated. Under the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA), employers have to prove that local recruitment efforts failed. Non-EU/EFTA permits are restricted almost exclusively to personnel like managers, senior specialists, or university graduates with specialized experience.​​ 

Permit quotas and administrative timeline​​ 

The Swiss government has a strict annual national quota on work permits for non-EU/EFTA nationals. The work permit needs a multi-tiered approval process involving cantonal labor authorities and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Employers have to start the permit application in advance. The employee can’t begin work until formal authorization.​​ 

It’s in your best interest to establish a relationship with a canton’s local economic offices or embassy. You don’t need a legal entity to hire in Switzerland, but if you choose to start a Swiss company, you can choose between:​​ 

Branches are a common route for international companies, and require you to pay local taxes and maintain at least one Swiss resident with legal authority. You must have all legal documentation, contracts, and established financial accounts prepared.​​  

Hire employees in Switzerland without setting up your own entity with G-P EOR. Build your team in Switzerland at a lower cost and with peace of mind that you’re complying with each canton’s unique requirements.​​ 

Etapas para contratar na Suíça​​ 

Key steps to hiring in Switzerland​​ 

 The process of hiring in Switzerland follows five basic steps: advertising the job, evaluating applications, interviewing candidates, sending job offers, and onboarding new employees.​​ 

1. Anuncie vagas de emprego​​ 

Primeiro, crie uma descrição de cargo detalhada. Defina a função, as responsabilidades e as qualificações necessárias. Para certas profissões com taxas de desemprego mais elevadas, os empregadores são legalmente obrigados a notificar os serviços de emprego cantonais sobre as vagas antes de as anunciarem publicamente. Isso garante acesso prioritário para candidatos a emprego cadastrados e conformidade com a Lei Federal de Serviços de Emprego.​​ 

2. Avaliar candidaturas​​ 

Assim que os candidatos se inscreverem para as suas novas vagas, você poderá avaliar as candidaturas e determinar quais são os mais adequados para a posição. A legislação suíça proíbe a discriminação com base em gênero, idade, origem, raça, religião, deficiência, orientação sexual ou outras características protegidas em todas as etapas do processo de recrutamento. Isso está previsto na Constituição Federal Suíça e na Lei da Igualdade de Gênero.​​  

Verifique cuidadosamente se os anúncios de emprego, os critérios de seleção e as perguntas da entrevista estão isentos de preconceitos.​​  

3. Entrevistar candidatos​​ 

Next, interview candidates who made it onto your shortlist. Use job-relevant selection criteria and structured interviews to ensure fairness and consistency.  Gia can help you create interview questions that follow anti-discrimination laws when hiring employees in Switzerland, so you can find the best fit for the role while complying with local regulations.​​  

É uma boa prática manter a documentação do processo de recrutamento, incluindo anotações de entrevistas e decisões de seleção, por pelo menos cinco anos.​​ 

4. Faça ofertas de emprego​​ 

Agora é hora de notificar o candidato escolhido. Elabore um contrato de trabalho por escrito que esteja em conformidade com a legislação trabalhista suíça. O contrato deve incluir termos essenciais como cargo, atribuições, salário, horário de trabalho, prazos de aviso prévio e quaisquer Acordos Coletivos de Trabalho (ACTs) aplicáveis.​​ 

5. Admissão dos novos funcionários​​ 

Registre o novo funcionário no sistema suíço de segurança social (AHV/AVS), no seguro contra acidentes, no fundo de pensões (BVG/LPP) e, se aplicável, junto das autoridades fiscais competentes. Configure a folha de pagamento para garantir o pagamento correto dos salários, as deduções para a previdência social, as contribuições para a aposentadoria e os impostos.​​ 

Contratação de empreiteiros na Suíça​​ 

Trabalhar com prestadores de serviços independentes na Suíça pode ser uma forma econômica de testar o mercado e construir uma presença sem o compromisso de funcionários em tempo integral. Os prestadores de serviços sediados na Suíça compreendem o comportamento do consumidor local, as regras e as práticas comerciais. Eles estarão prontos para começar a trabalhar rapidamente com seus próprios equipamentos e processos de trabalho já estabelecidos.​​  

Hiring contractors allows you to easily adjust your workforce based on your business needs, without the complexities and costs of employment.  ​​ 

Antes de celebrar um contrato com um trabalhador independente na Suíça, considere o seguinte:​​ 

1. Empregados versus trabalhadores independentes​​ 

It’s important to understand the difference between employees and independent contractors. In Switzerland, employment contracts for employees often include exclusivity clauses and specify working hours, location, and duties. Services agreements for contractors focus on deliverables and outcomes, emphasizing the worker’s autonomy and independence.​​  

As empresas contratam funcionários para realizar trabalhos e, em troca, pagam-lhes um salário ou remuneração regular. Os contratados devem providenciar seus próprios planos de previdência social e aposentadoria. Diferentemente dos funcionários, os contratados definem seus próprios horários, usam seus próprios equipamentos e trabalham em projetos específicos, em vez de terem um contrato contínuo.​​ 

2. Penalidades por classificação incorreta​​ 

Classifying someone as a contractor when they’re not can lead to severe penalties. If misclassification occurs during your efforts of hiring in Switzerland, you may need to:​​ 

3. Como pagar empreiteiros na Suíça​​ 

G-P Contractor™ takes away the messy, time-consuming process of hiring and paying international contractors. You can create and issue contracts and pay contractors with just a few clicks, all while ensuring a compliant process.​​ 

Contrate funcionários e prestadores de serviços na Suíça com a GP​​ 

Our SaaS and AI-powered products – EOR, Contractor, and Gia – help companies of all sizes build and manage global teams.​​  

With more than a decade of experience, the largest team of HR, legal, and compliance experts, and a global proprietary knowledge base, G-P is the recognized leader in global employment when you need to hire employees in Switzerland.​​ 

Make your expansion to Switzerland easier with G-P. Contact us or book a demo today.​​ 

Contrate com a GP​​