Jobba i Schweiz?

Någon här som har jobbar/jobbat i Schweiz? Hur är arbetsvillkoren, lön, kultur etc.?
Hur lätt är det att få jobb som programmerare?

I don’t have a direct experience, but I just had this discussion yesterday with my boss who is a Swiss man born and raised in Zurich. He worked for many years in Zurich before moving to Denmark.

Work culture
In contrast to Scandinavian countries, in Switzerland people generally work and have a little bit of life instead of the opposite. One of his biggest culture shocks apparently was how early people left the office daily.

A regular day would usually look like this:
You work from 8-9 AM to lunchtime. During lunchtime you go out to a restaurant with your colleagues for a 1hr lunch, then you all head back to work for around 6 hours more.

Salary
Insanely high compared to the rest of Europe AND with low income taxes. Even if you earn crazy amounts, you would probably be hit by ~25% income tax. Also, despite the ultra-high living costs in Zurich, you would still be able to save more than you could ever save in Sweden. Switzerland tops the rankings for strongest purchasing power in the world for a reason.

Demand
Tech industry is alive and well in Switzerland. Market is obviously not as huge as Germany, but they are hiring tech professionals. Crypto, blockchain, and the likes for some reason are particularly popular. :face_with_monocle: Plus points if you speak German/French (language depends on which canton you are aiming for). If you are an EU citizen, you have a good chance of securing a job. For non-EU citizens, it’s next to impossible unless you work for big names (ex. Google) and do an internal transfer.

More general info on Switzerland:
Switzerland in general takes a very liberal approach to managing where your money goes as a resident. Taxes are low so expect a ‘no frills’ experience —no parental leave benefits, no free healthcare (though do note that health insurance is a thing), no state pension, etc.

Switzerland in a nutshell: You want to raise a family/retire/get healthcare treatment? Pay for it yourself. FYI daycare costs 3000 CHF (~36.000 SEK) per month. :slightly_smiling_face:

Other than that, Switzerland is golden. Clean, low taxes, beautiful nature, low taxes, low crime rate, sensible government, strict migration policies, political & economic stability, have I mentioned low taxes? Enjoy living in central Europe and being able to feel that any country is cheap to travel to with the boatloads of money you earn in Switzerland. :wink:

My husband (AI/ML Engineer) and I (Technical Product Manager) are planning to move to Switzerland in a couple of years. Do hit me up if you move there! Happy to make connections and befriend a fellow techie. :smile:

2 gillningar

Thanks for the post! :slight_smile:
I recently got a new job (working as an AI/ML engineer just like your husband) so I don’t now when my next move will be, but perhaps in 1-2 years.
What you are saying sounds a lot like what I’ve heard from reading up on the internet.
Sure, if you like I can send you my LinkedIn