Around 320,000 jobs in Switzerland are considered low paid, earning a gross monthly salary of under CHF4,335 ($4,400), according to the most recent nationwide statistics.
In 2016, 12% of Swiss workers earned such a low monthly salary, the Federal Statistical Office (OFS) reported on MondayExternal link.
The OFS uses the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) measure, which calculates that a low salary is less than 75% of the median gross national wage for a 40-hour week job.
The OFS said 17% of female workers in Switzerland had a low paid job in 2016, compared to 7.6% of men.
The main low-paid sectors were personal services – which includes hairdressing and cleaning firms – the retail sector, the food and restaurant industry, and hotels and accommodation.
Canton Ticino had the highest percentage of low salary earners (24.7% of the total) – almost double the national average. In north-west Switzerland this percentage fell to 7.8%, while it was 12% in eastern Switzerland.
Half of all low paid jobs (53.8%) were done by foreign residents. And almost 50% of poorly paid work (46.4%) was offered by companies with fewer than 50 staff.
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When travelling abroad, especially to countries with much lower wages, the Swiss may immediately try to change the subject, or even lie shamelessly, when asked how much they earn. How to explain that your monthly income of CHF5,500 to CHF6,500 ($5,520 to $6,530) simply cannot be compared with the salaries earned by those around you? …
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