How AI is changing hiring in Switzerland

Anyone reading the headlines of recent months might think the Swiss labour market is facing an earthquake. AI replacing jobs. Corporations moving positions abroad. Salaries under massive pressure. Our data paints a different picture: salaries remain largely stable, and in some areas they are even rising. What is changing fundamentally are employers’ expectations.

For our Salary Guide 2027, we analysed more than 500 job profiles across 14 sectors, based on around 20,000 recruitment interviews and a database of over 500,000 candidates. The result: companies are hiring more selectively. They take longer to decide. They control headcount more tightly. And they rely more often on interim and temporary professionals.

First an experiment, now a must

Within around two years, AI has evolved from an experiment into a competitive factor. At first, employees used ChatGPT for individual tasks. Today, companies deploy their own AI agents. They need AI to stay competitive and differentiate themselves from their rivals. According to JobCloud, the operator of jobs.ch, more than 30 percent of job advertisements for office roles now require applicants to be able to integrate AI into their work. This rapid shift is particularly evident in Switzerland, where 71% of professionals now use GenAI in their role, up from 55% in 2025 and 32% in 2024, and well above the global (64%) and European (60%) averages.

Pressure at the edges

Two groups face this change with particular force. For career starters, the path to a first job is rockier than it was for previous cohorts. Companies expect them to use AI tools purposefully to boost productivity. Yet education often fails to keep pace. Experienced specialists and managers looking for a new role after restructuring face an equally hard time. What counts for them is how agile they are and how naturally they use new technologies. In between, the picture remains largely free of major swings.

More candidates, but not always the right ones

Unemployment has risen from around two to roughly three percent. More professionals from finance and pharma are looking for a job. And multinational corporations are relocating global functions abroad, driven by the strong franc and geopolitical uncertainty. Nevertheless, demand remains high for most positions. Why? Many of the available profiles do not match the open vacancies. Where suitable candidates are scarce, salaries rise.

Where salaries are rising and where they are falling

We are seeing strong salary increases in IT roles related to AI and machine learning. In construction and real estate, the market is growing again, and salaries for specific functions are picking up. In banking, pay for relationship managers and compliance professionals is rising slightly, as the regulated environment demands experienced specialists. In commodity trading, by contrast, salaries are falling in some functions as companies relocate roles and more candidates enter the market. Across all sectors, sales is gaining strategic importance: companies are actively seeking strong sales profiles for the Swiss market and often paying them more than a year ago.

What this means

The Swiss labour market is not collapsing. It is reorganising itself. Expertise remains the foundation. Those who actively integrate AI into their work gain a real edge, at the start of their career just as much as after twenty years on the job. And employers who want to attract professionals with this combination must decide quickly and make compelling offers.

Access the Salary Guide 2027 for the latest salary benchmarks and labour market insights to help you make informed hiring and talent decisions.