The position of women in the Swiss labor market has hardly changed recently. Although the employment rate rose slightly, the wage gap also grew.
Mar 2, 2026, 7:17 amMar 2, 2026, 7:17 am
This emerges from the “Women in Work Index 2026” published on Monday by the consulting firm PWC. Switzerland moved up one place to 20th in an international comparison. However, the overall rating, which refers to labor market data from 2024, remained unchanged from the previous year at 68.7 points.
Women in Switzerland continue to earn less on average than men. (symbol image)Image: Shutterstock
According to the study, the employment rate for women was 80.8 percent, increasing slightly compared to the previous year (80.4%). At the same time, the full-time proportion of women in employment fell from 60.7 to 59.2 percent. The gender pay gap increased slightly and remained high at 17.4 percent, according to PWC.
PWC sees a structural need to catch up in Switzerland despite stable overall values. It is said that high part-time rates for women, care shortages and care responsibilities are slowing down equality. Companies could specifically promote female skilled workers through more flexible working models and a better work-life balance.
A comparison of the 33 OECD countries also showed stagnation. However, the wage gap developed positively: across the OECD it narrowed by 0.6 percentage points to 12.4 percent. This means that Switzerland continues to be well above the OECD average in terms of wage inequality.
The index is again led by Iceland, followed by Luxembourg, New Zealand, Slovenia and Sweden. According to PWC, these countries combine high employment rates with family-friendly work models and good child care. At the bottom of the ranking are Mexico, South Korea, Chile, Italy and Greece.
The “Women in Work Index” has been assessing equality in the labor market in 33 OECD countries using five indicators since 2011. (sda/awp)