Working hours & overtime in Switzerland

Employees in Switzerland have some of the longest working hours in Europe, with a standard workweek coming in at around 40 to 42 hours. Here’s what you need to know about working hours, overtime, breaks and rest periods in Switzerland. 

Working hours in Switzerland

Employees in Switzerland work hard: a full-time worker clocks in 41,8 hours per week, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

There are a lot of norms and regulations that internationals working in Switzerland should be aware of. This includes:

• The standard working week: Most full-time employees in Switzerland work somewhere between 40 and 44 hours per week. That’s working from 8 or 9am until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. 
• Legal maximum working hours: Employees cannot work more than 50 hours per week (or less for employees in some industries - see below). 
• Breaks and rest periods: You are legally entitled to a 15-minute break if you work more than 5,5 hours a day (30 minutes if you work 7 hours, and 1 hour if you work 9 hours), and an 11-hour rest period between working days. 
• Overtime: You can be asked to work overtime (when you work more than the hours stipulated in your employment contract), but this comes with limits: 170 hours per year if you work 45 hours per week, or 140 hours per year if you work 50 hours per week. Overtime is remunerated. 
• Out-of-hours work: Working at night and on Sundays is prohibited in Switzerland, but there are some exceptions, for instance in certain industries. Employers can also apply to employ night and Sunday workers, who must be compensated. 

Standard working hours in Switzerland

Most Swiss companies operate a 40 to 44-hour work week, meaning employees usually work between the hours of 8/9am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. 

In 2024, a total of 8,117 billion hours were worked in Switzerland. Divided by the number of jobs (both part-time and full-time), this equates to an average of 1.417 hours per job per year. That’s the equivalent of a working week of 30 hours and 56 minutes. 

This number is lower than you might expect because it covers both full-time and part-time jobs.

Working full-time

According to the Federal Statistical Office, on average, full-time employees in Switzerland are contracted to work 41,8 hours per week. Once overtime and absences like sick leave are taken into account, full-time employees work an average of 40,1 hours per week.

s of 2024, the average weekly working hours for someone working full-time in Switzerland are 40 hours and four minutes. 

Working part-time

If you work less than 90 percent of the standard working hours (i.e. anything less than 36 to 40 hours per week), you are considered to work part-time. 

Part-time workers in Switzerland have the same holiday and salary entitlements as full-time employees, prorated according to their weekly working hours. 

While there’s no specific law in Switzerland that guarantees an employee the right to switch to part-time hours, you are free to submit a request to your employer. They must consider it, but are entitled to refuse if they have legitimate business reasons. 

An increasing number of Swiss companies are now offering flexible working arrangements like part-time and remote work, job-sharing and flexitime models. 

However, if you need a residence permit to live and work in Switzerland, you will have fewer options when it comes to working part-time. This is because your employer acts as your sponsor for your work visa and will usually want you to work full-time hours. 

Breaks and rest periods at work

Employees are entitled to take breaks during their working days, to rest and get something to eat. The length of the break depends on the number of hours worked:

• 15 minutes if you work more than 5,5 hours a day
• 30 minutes if you work more than 7 hours a day
• 1 hour if you work more than 9 hours a day (you can split this break into multiple breaks)

Note that these are minimums; your employer may allow you to take longer breaks. Smokers are not entitled to take extra smoking breaks.  

If you work flexible hours and the length of your working day varies, the length of your breaks is calculated based on the daily average. 

Are breaks paid?

Breaks are not considered working time in Switzerland, and so they are usually unpaid. 

That’s why a typical workday in Switzerland is between the hours of 9am and 5.30pm: four hours of work in the morning, then a 30-minute break, then four hours of work in the afternoon. Over five days, this would add up to a 40-hour work week.

Your break is remunerated if:

• You cannot leave your workplace during your break
• Your break is caused by a technical interruption (such as machine downtime), because you cannot know in advance when you need to return to work

Skipping breaks

Since breaks are legally mandated to enable workers to rest and eat, you are not allowed to skip them (for instance if you wanted to start your day later, or finish work early). 

Rest periods

While breaks are periods for rest during the working day, rest periods are breaks between working days. 

Each rest period:

• Must last at least 11 consecutive hours (12 hours for employees under the age of 18)
• Starts when you leave the workplace and ends when you return

Your employer can reduce your rest period to eight hours, once per week, but only if you have been given rest periods at an average of 11 hours each in the two weeks prior. 

Time off work

All workers are also entitled to at least four weeks of annual leave per year. You can find out more about taking paid holidays on our dedicated page. Public holidays are usually counted on top of this paid leave entitlement. 

Legal maximum working hours in Switzerland

According to the ch.ch, the maximum that a person can work per week is:

• 45 hours for the industrial sector, office staff, technical employees, and sales staff at large retail companies
• 50 hours for all other sectors

Any hours that you work above your normal weekly working hours (as specified in your contract) is classed as overtime. 

Overtime in Switzerland

There are two types of overtime in Switzerland:

• Contractual overtime: Any hours you work that exceed your normal working hours but are less than the statutory maximum working hours. 
• Statutory overtime: Any hours you work that exceed the statutory maximum working hours.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average full-time employee in Switzerland works 0,6 hours of overtime per week. 

Contractual overtime

Contractual overtime is any additional hours that you work above your normal weekly working hours, up to the statutory maximum working hours (45 or 50 hours per week, depending on your sector - see above). 

Your employer can ask you to work contractual overtime, or you can choose to work the extra hours, under the following conditions:

• The overtime is really necessary.
• The extra hours do not require an “unreasonable” mental or physical effort. 
• Regulations on breaks and rest periods are followed. 

If you work contractual overtime, you will generally be remunerated in one of the following ways:

• You redeem the extra hours as paid leave (time off in lieu).
• You get paid for the extra hours, at 25% more than your normal hourly salary. 

Note that managers do not generally get the 25% supplement on their contractual overtime unless otherwise stated in their employment contract. 

It is not uncommon for companies to also include an overtime compensation waiver in employment contracts, so ensure you understand what the case is in your situation, before agreeing to work overtime. 

Statutory overtime

Statutory overtime is any hours that you work over the statutory maximum working hours (45 or 50 hours per week, depending on your sector). It is therefore subject to stricter conditions. 

Statutory overtime is permitted if:

• There is an urgent need for it, for instance if there has been a large increase in work. 
• The work is needed to complete an inventory, finish accounts, carry out a liquidation or prevent or address an operational problem. 

Statutory overtime is limited to:

• Two hours per day
• 170 hours per year (for employees who normally work 45 hours per week) or 140 hours per year (for employees who work 50 hours per week)

If you work statutory overtime, you will be remunerated with paid leave or with a wage supplement of at least 25%. 

Out-of-hours work

Generally speaking, working on Sundays and at night is prohibited in Switzerland. 

However, some sectors are not subject to the ban, and employers in other sectors can apply for special dispensation to conduct out-of-hours work. 

Sectors that are not covered by the ban on Sunday and night working include:

• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Certain shops like newsstands and bakeries
• Retail stores in train stations and airports
• Theatres
• Cinemas
• Media companies
• Sports and leisure facilities
• Energy and water supply companies
• Cleaning services

You can find a full list on the SECO website.

Working on Sundays

Working on Sundays is generally not allowed in Switzerland. However, some sectors are not covered by this rule, and employers can apply for authorisation to employ Sunday workers. 

Temporary vs regular Sunday work

Switzerland distinguishes between “temporary” and “regular” Sunday working:

• Temporary: For a fixed period lasting no more than six months. Public holidays count towards the calculation of the number of Sundays worked. 
• Regular: Anything that exceeds this. 

Remuneration for working Sundays

You must be remunerated for working Sundays. Exactly how depends on whether you work Sundays temporarily or regularly: 

• Temporary Sunday work: Workers get a 50% wage supplement as well as time off. 
• Regular Sunday work: Workers get time off only.

The amount of time off you get depends on how many hours you worked on the Sunday:

• If you worked five hours or less, you are entitled to an equal amount of time off within four weeks of the Sunday worked. 
• If you worked more than five hours, you are entitled to one day of rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, plus the regular daily rest of at least 11 consecutive hours (totalling 35 hours), during the week of, or the week following, the Sunday worked. 

It is against the law for companies to offer cash instead of this time off. 

Working at night

The law in Switzerland also generally prohibits working between 11pm and 6am. However, some sectors are exempt from this, and employers can also apply for special authorisation to employ night workers.

Night workers are not allowed to work for more than nine hours in any 10-hour period, including breaks. 

Temporary vs regular night work

Switzerland also makes a distinction between “temporary” and “regular” night work:

• Temporary: For a fixed period lasting no more than six months.
• Regular: Anything that exceeds this. 

Employees who regularly work nights (more than 25 nights per year) can undergo a medical examination every two years to prove they are fit to work nights. Some workers may be required to undergo this examination. From the age of 45, workers are entitled to it every year. 

Remuneration for working nights

Legally, people who work nights must also be remunerated. The form of remuneration depends on the type of night work:

• Temporary night work: Workers get paid a supplement of at least 25% for hours worked between 11pm and 6pm, if they work fewer than 25 nights per year. 
• Regular night work: Workers get additional time off (equivalent to 10% of the hours of night work), if they work more than 25 nights per year. It is not allowed to offer cash compensation instead of this time off.