Number of staff at banks in Switzerland
The banks employed 92,002 people (full-time equivalents) in Switzerland at the end of 2025, a decrease of 2,345 compared with 2024. Financial sector unemployment stood at 3.3%, somewhat higher than the average for the economy as a whole and up slightly year-on-year.
TRENDS IN 2026
Slight fall in headcount at banks in Switzerland in the first half of 2026
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Trends in 2025
The number of people employed in the banking sector fell by 2.5% to 92,002 at the end of 2025. The unemployment rate in the banking sector was minimally higher than the Swiss average at 3.3%.
The banks employed 92,002 people (full-time equivalents) in Switzerland in 2025, down 2,345 or 2.5% year-on-year. The uptrend that had been in place for five years was thus turned around in 2025. According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), unemployment in the Swiss banking sector averaged 3.3% in December 2025, just above the figure for the economy as a whole. In total, 4,160 banking sector workers were registered unemployed at the end of the year, an increase of 660 compared with 2024.
The reduction of 2,345 jobs was entirely attributable to the big banks, with all other categories recording an increase in headcount. This is consistent with the cautiously positive forecast contained in last year’s SBA employment survey of Swiss-based banks. Roughly 60% of the banks polled expected their headcount to remain stable, with around a third predicting a rise. Despite the decrease in headcount, personnel expenses rose slightly, albeit only by a small amount (CHF 192.0 mn), just like in 2024. This was probably due to severance packages in connection with restructuring efforts and higher variable remuneration on the back of good results.
As regards gender distribution, the proportion of female bank staff remained stable at 38.7% in 2025 (35,612 full-time equivalents). Compared with 2024, the number of female staff fell by 770 and the number of male staff by 1,575. Looking back over the last decade, the proportion of female employees has risen slightly, while total headcount has been flat.
Figure 22
Slight fall in headcount at banks in Switzerland in the first half of 2026
The banks’ headcount fell by 1.4% in Switzerland and by 3.7% in other countries. The international trend was thus mostly responsible for the overall decline of 2.4%. Expectations are cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year.
The number of people employed at banks in Switzerland fell slightly in the first half of 2026. According to the SBA’s annual employment survey, domestic headcount dropped by 1.4% or 1,216 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Bigger changes were seen internationally, with 2,714 FTEs joining and 5,477 leaving, resulting in a net decrease of 3.7%. The downturn in international headcount observed in prior years thus continued.
Figure 23
Estimates for rest of year cautiously positive
As part of the survey, 82 of respondents gave their views on how the industry’s headcount will develop in the remainder of 2026. Just under 60% expect it to remain stable, while around a third expect it to rise. Only approximately 7% believe it will fall. Expectations are thus minimally less optimistic than they were a year ago. The proportion of banks anticipating a negative trend in employment has risen slightly, but it remains low on a ten-year comparison – especially relative to the much higher figures for the years 2016 to 2021. Overall, therefore, the outlook is neutral to positive compared with the long-term results: around 93% of respondents expect headcount to remain stable or increase in the remainder of the year. The proportion of institutions expecting an increase is still high, albeit not quite as high as it was from 2022 to 2025. The labour market index for the banking sector even paints a somewhat more optimistic picture than the SBA survey. Between the first and second quarters of 2026, the number of vacant positions increased markedly, while the number of employees and the number of registered unemployed remained largely stable. The expectations component of the index was positive in both quarters but rather less so in the second compared with the first. The banks expecting headcount to increase next quarter were thus in the majority once again after temporarily being in the minority in 2025 for the first time in almost four years. The proportion of banks experiencing recruitment difficulties due to a lack of qualified specialists was 27.5% in the first quarter and rose slightly to 30% in the second.
Figure 24
Figure 25
No significant changes expected in individual business areas
In addition to the general trend, the banks were also asked about the expected employment trend in individual areas of business. Analysis of the responses shows a majority expecting staff numbers to remain stable in all areas – i.e. retail banking, wealth management, institutional asset management, trading activities and logistics – and no fall anticipated in any area. Overall, opinions are cautiously optimistic, just as they were last year. The survey underscores the fact that banks expect the overall employment trend to be stable or positive, with mostly stable figures in the business areas.
Figure 26
Banking sector unemployment rises in first half of 2026
SECO reports that the unemployment rate in the banking sector was 3.3% at the end of 2025, just above the average rate of 3.1% across all sectors. The unemployment rate in the banking sector has risen slightly again in 2026 (June 2026: 3.5%), which contrasts with the trend in the nationwide unemployment rate (June 2026: 2.9%). The labour market index for the banking sector confirms this deviation from the broader economy. Staff remain in relatively short supply in the financial sector compared with the economy as a whole. The JOBSTAT job statisticspublished by the federal government recorded 4,700 vacancies across the entire financial sector (financial and insurance services) in the first quarter of 2026. This equates to 1.8% of all occupied and vacant positions. The figure for the overall economy was slightly lower at 1.7%.