Economic uncertainty is the headache that won’t go away. Switzerland’s tech market seems to have found the remedy, sporting high growth potential and stability at an extraordinary time.
While the outlook is bright, fast-moving sectors brace for global volatility. Sandwiched between EU regulatory pressures and a new(ish) administration over in the US, Swiss businesses are facing a perfect storm of shifting trade dynamics.
What does it mean for tech jobs? For Switzerland – 14-time winner of the world’s most innovative country – we can expect businesses to realign their approaches to recruitment.
If you’re currently searching the Swiss job market (for jobs or candidates), Trust in SODA’s recruitment consultants have updates from the heart of the action. Check it out below.
For Job Seekers
The broader labour market is feeling the pressure of a tumultuous few years. The unemployment rate gradually climbed throughout 2024, with the number of job seekers increasing by 20.1% according to Swiss Staffing.
Consequently, competition is heating up. We’re seeing an influx of applications to most vacancies, making it difficult for candidates to stand out and hiring managers to identify the right fit.
Specialised cross-border staffing services are well-positioned to support meaningful growth in an increasingly complex hiring market.
Agility will be the key to finding success. The same goes for businesses – there’s never been a better time to be adaptable.
As per our LinkedIn data, we’re seeing positive job growth in areas like DevOps, Data Engineering, and Cloud Engineering, rising 6%, 7%, and 4% respectively over the last 12 months.
Key players include Swisscom, Swiss Post, Pictet Group, UBS, and Züricher Kantonalbank, with Greater Bern and Sankt Gallen emerging as hubs for hiring activity.
Tips for Candidates:
- Optimise Your CV for ATS: Businesses are frequently turning to automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to streamline their recruitment processes. It’s worth making sure your CV is properly formatted to make it over the first hurdle. Ensure your keywords reflect those in the job description.
- Deeper Expertise: It’s not a generalist’s market. Hiring managers are commonly targeting specialised candidates, often favouring deep expertise in fundamental disciplines over specific tools.
- Reach Out Directly: Networking is a powerful ally in a digital-first world. Standing Use your connections and reach out to leaders and department heads directly.
- Demonstrable Skills: The STAR formula (Situation, Task, Activity, Result) is a strong way to format your skills and experience, and it’ll help you stand out in saturated markets, especially when you’re competing against a slew of qualified candidates. Some estimates suggest that, on average, employers spend between 6 and 7 seconds looking at your CV.
- Further Afield: Between advancements in tech and Switzerland’s push to position itself as a global AI leader, we’re seeing roles appear in some unlikely industries, including agriculture, healthcare and finance. The digitalisation boom is on, and it’s worth exploring opportunities further afield.
- Cybersecurity: Security-mindedness is a key priority for plenty of tech-focused functions this year. We recommend getting to know the new Digital Switzerland Strategy and staying ahead of the latest trends in cybersecurity.
For Hiring Managers
Switzerland maintains one of the most attractive job markets in Europe, largely thanks to its high salaries and commitment to international mobility.
Cross-border talent acquisition has long been a defining feature of the Swiss talent market, and we expect it to stay that way as nearshoring rises in popularity.
Transformation-focused roles have once again found the spotlight as sectors scramble to digitise, kicking off the race to secure tech-savvy candidates with a strategic disposition and strong stakeholder management skills.
We’re still seeing arbitrary language requirements prevent some businesses from realising their full hiring potential, particularly when filling positions where technical proficiency is the critical aspect.
- Quotas: Switzerland has retained its annual quota of 8500 jobs for EEA, UK, and third-country nationals in 2025. If you need support navigating cross-border talent pressures, you can download our comprehensive guide here.
- Talent shortages: The acute labour shortage looks set to continue in 2025, hence the uptick in nearshoring, cross-border talent acquisition, and the growing gaps in areas like cybersecurity. Offering flexible working will help you broaden the talent pool, and for SMEs, compete with the bigger wage budgets of the major players.
- Barriers to Entry: Workforce diversification provides a route to solving talent pipeline challenges, an approach that Trust in SODA and the Women in DevOps community found great success with over the last ten years. Some estimates put the representation of women at just 17% in Swiss tech.
- Benchmarking and Salary Expectations: Famously large salaries are among Swiss tech’s biggest draws. Benchmarking your remuneration packages is an essential part of the talent attraction and retention process.
Stability and Opportunity
The Swiss talent market has weathered more than its fair share of setbacks over the last year. We anticipate that the stable economy and emphasis on innovation will lead to some truly exceptional progress, provided businesses can remain competitive in their search for talent.
Emerging opportunities in areas like FinTech, BioTech, and ESG-focused initiatives spell good news for future-facing candidates (those looking for both interim and permanent positions.
We’ve had the privilege of helping our incredible Swiss clients adapt to the unfamiliar over the past few years, and we expect this year to be the time to capitalise on all the hard-fought preparations.
If you’re hoping to scale your teams and take on increasingly complex hiring challenges, our Swiss division has the network, reach, and localised market knowledge to be your competitive edge. Let’s catch up: dan.maptsone@trustinsoda.com.