Where is part-time work most common in Switzerland?

With particularly long workweeks, rising childcare costs and more conservative cultural traditions, many people in Switzerland opt to work part-time. Recent analysis by Watson has revealed which jobs and cantons have the highest rates of part-time workers and why.

Which Swiss cantons have the highest rates of part-time workers?

Part-time work in Switzerland has become increasingly common in the past few decades. 38,7 percent of employees work part-time, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This has risen from around 25 percent in the early 1990s.

Watson examines which Swiss cantons people are more likely to work part-time in. Jura comes out on top, where 61 percent of women work part-time, followed by Obwalden (60 percent of women) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (58 percent of women). 

On the other end of the scale, more urban cantons have fewer part-time workers. In Geneva, 44 percent of women work part-time, followed by 46 percent in Basel-Stadt and Glarus.

The rate of part-time work among men varies only slightly between cantons, averaging out at around 12 to 15 percent. The highest rates of part-time male workers are in Basel-Stadt (23 percent) and Bern (20 percent).

Which professions have the most part-time workers?

Recent FSO data has also revealed that the highest rates of part-time workers are in service jobs, retail and unskilled labour (such as cleaners). The occupations with the highest part-time rates (in percent), as summarised by Watson, are:

• Service occupations and shop assistants (54)
• Unskilled work (such as cleaners) (54)
• Intellectual and scientific occupations (43)
• Office workers (43)
• Technicians (36)
• Skilled workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing (28)
• Managers (22)
• Machine and plant operators and assembly occupations (20)
• Trade and craft occupations (15)
  

Why do people work part-time in Switzerland?

While many roles are only offered part-time, leaving some people with no choice but to take part-time work, it is becoming more common to work reduced hours due to Switzerland’s longer workweek and high childcare costs. 

"The standard workweek in Switzerland is 42 hours, significantly higher than in many other countries," according to labour market research Karin Schwiter. This is the case "especially in demanding social professions [where] many therefore opt for part-time work". The average workweek in the EU in 2024 was 36 hours per week, according to Eurostat.

High childcare costs in Switzerland, coupled with short school days, mean that many couples opt for the “one-and-a-half earner model” where one person works reduced hours to spend more time looking after children. In 2025, Switzerland was ranked the 4th-worst country for working women by The Economist, as childcare more often than not falls to the woman in a couple.

Schwiter attributes regional differences in part-time work rates to cantonal childcare policies. For example, Zug will soon cover a third of childcare costs to help working parents, whereas other cantons offer less support. Cultural factors can also be at play, where in more conservative, rural parts of the country, women are less likely to work full-time.