Statutory notice period
The minimum notice an employer must give. Contracts and collective agreements can lengthen it and only rarely shorten it, and the tenure bands are where cross-border assumptions usually go wrong.
After probation, both sides. Modifiable by written agreement or collective agreement; below one month only by collective agreement and only in the first year of service.
| Service | Employer notice | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| First year of service | 1 month | to the end of a month |
| Second to ninth year of service | 2 months | to the end of a month |
| From the tenth year of service | 3 months | to the end of a month |
No grounds are required for ordinary notice, though abusive dismissal carries compensation.
Source: FAQ zur Kündigung im privaten Arbeitsrecht, Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft SECO. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Minimum paid annual leave
The statutory floor for paid holiday. The counting basis matters as much as the number, since some laws count a six-day week and others count working days or calendar weeks.
4 weeks per year.
5 weeks up to the completed 20th year of age. Partial years of service earn leave pro rata.
Source: OR Art. 329a – Ferien, gesetzestexte.help.ch (statutory text). Checked on 2026-07-27.
Probation limit
The longest trial period the law allows an employer to agree, together with the notice that applies while it runs.
3 months at most, with notice of 7 calendar days, effective on any day during it.
The first month of an indefinite contract counts as probation by default; written or collective agreement can remove it or extend it to at most 3 months.
Illness, accident or the performance of a compulsory legal duty extends the probation by the time lost.
Source: FAQ zur Kündigung im privaten Arbeitsrecht, Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft SECO. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Employer social contributions
What the employer pays on top of gross salary into statutory schemes. Some countries charge a percentage of pay, others charge flat amounts, and a single headline rate hides caps, regional rules and industry-rated items.
Figures apply for 2026.
| Scheme | Rate, per cent of pay | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Old-age, survivors and disability insurance with income compensation (AHV/IV/EO), employer half | 5.3 | the whole salary, with no ceiling |
| Unemployment insurance (ALV), employer halfPay above the ceiling is uninsured and carries no contribution since the solidarity percent lapsed. | 1.1 | pay up to 148,200 CHF per year |
| Occupational pension (BVG), employer shareMandatory from 22,680 a year; age-banded credits, the employer pays at least half. Often the largest single item. | varies | the coordinated salary above the entry threshold |
| Accident insurance (UVG), occupational partSector-rated; the occupational part is employer-only. | varies | pay up to the same ceiling as unemployment insurance |
| Family-allowance fund (FAK)Cantonal, roughly 1.0 to 2.75. | varies | all pay |
| Compensation-fund administration costs | varies | a share of the AHV/IV/EO contribution |
| Sum of the shares aboveThe two federal fixed rates only; the mandatory pension, accident, family-allowance and administration items come on top and vary. | 6.4 |
With the variable items included, the employer's total typically lands between 15 and 22 per cent of pay depending on sector, canton and pension plan. There is no employer health contribution; health insurance is individual.
Source: AHV/IV/EO und ALV: Pflichten der Arbeitgebenden, Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft SECO; Sozialversicherungsbeiträge 2026, Swissmem; Sozialversicherungsbeiträge, WEKA. Checked on 2026-07-27.