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Professional workforce

Switzerland has one of the highest labor productivity levels in the world, and its employment rate (80%) is among the highest in Europe. Good language skills are another key feature of the workforce in the Canton of Bern, which is one of the three bilingual cantons in Switzerland.

Involving much less red tape than in many EU member states, our liberal labor laws make for a dynamic labor market, with businesses, government bodies and social partners working together to ensure fair working conditions. The legal basis for the relationship between employer and employee is the Swiss Code of Obligations. Many industries also operate collective bargaining agreements or standard employment contracts which derogate from the code in favor of the employee. You can find out more about these from your industry association.

Find out the conditions under which foreign employees can work in Switzerland. We will be happy to help you through the process of applying for work permits.

How the workforce is divided up

Around 630,000 people work in the Canton of Bern. Of these, more than 80,000 are employed in industrial manufacturing. Companies in this sector benefit from our pool of well-educated, highly skilled professionals, many of whom are multilingual.

The map shows the proportions of jobs in different industries, broken down by commune.

Recruitment

The Job Room platform operated by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is completely free of charge to use. Why not check it out when you’re next recruiting? The RAV Job Market Service will get back to you promptly with CVs and contact details of suitable candidates.

More information

  • Collective labor agreements and standard employment contracts

  • Economic data

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