WERKARA
Articles

Working in Switzerland, explained simply.

Short articles and clear infographics on how the country works, what the rules are, and how people earn money with tasks on the side — written for anyone, verified against official sources.

Published Last updated 5 min read
Painting of a young man in a hoodie and jeans standing at the railing of a lakeside promenade in a Swiss town in the evening, with old houses, a church tower, the lake and snow-capped mountains behind
A Swiss town in the evening — the lake, the old town and the mountains, where most Swiss working lives are lived.
All articles

How to earn money on the side in Switzerland — legally.

Side jobs are allowed for almost everyone in Switzerland, as long as you know four things: what your employer and your permit allow, when AHV starts (CHF 2 500 a year), that every franc is taxable, and what a fair hourly rate is. These 27 short articles explain each step, with official sources, updated for 2026.

Switzerland in numbers

The country in nine figures: people, work, wages. Updated every year when the statistics office publishes.

Rules of the game

What is allowed next to your job, what the AHV wants from you, and which permit lets you do what.

Earning paths

Realistic ways to earn CHF 300 to 1 000 a month with tasks — weekends, evenings, no formal training needed.

Trades and services

One article per trade: fair hourly rates, what customers expect, what you need to start.

Becoming independent

From the first paid task to registered self-employment, step by step.

New in Switzerland

For newcomers and expats: permits, first steps and side income, in plain English.

Switzerland at a glance

One map, seven ways to read the country.

Cantons, cities, population, languages, relief, motorways and railways — tap a view, hover the map.

RhineAareRhôneReussTicinoInn Lake GenevaLake NeuchâtelLake ConstanceLake ZürichLake LucerneLake ThunLago MaggioreLake LuganoWalenseeLake BielLake Zug ZHBELUURSZOWNWGLZGFRSOBSBLSHARAISGGRAGTGTIVDVSNEGEJU JURASWISS PLATEAUALPSDufourspitze 4634Matterhorn 4478Jungfrau 4158 A1A2A3A4A4A14A7A5A6A8A9A9A12A13A16A20A15A28A1aA1A2A3A4A4A7A5A6A8A9A12A13A16A20A15A28 GenèveLausanneBernBaselZürichLuzernSt. GallenChurLuganoSionFribourgNeuchâtelBiel/BienneWinterthurSchaffhausenBellinzonaBrigInterlakenOltenThunZugSargansDavosSt. MoritzDelémontAarauYverdon ZürichGenèveBaselLausanneBernWinterthurLuzernSt. GallenLuganoBiel/BienneThunBellinzonaSchaffhausenLa Chaux-de-FondsChurSionNeuchâtelFribourgZug
Switzerland in numbers

A small country, a lot of work.

People
9.1 M
people live in Switzerland
BFS, end of 2025 [1]
5.39 M
people are in work
BFS SAKE, Q4 2025 [3]
3.0 %
registered unemployment rate
SECO, August 2026 [4]
CHF 7 024
median gross monthly wage, full-time
BFS LSE 2024 [7]
Companies and where people work
561 952
micro companies with 1–9 staff — 9 in 10 of all 626 033 companies
BFS STATENT 2023 [6]
3.19 M
people work in companies with fewer than 250 staff — two in three
BFS STATENT 2023 [6]
1.63 M
people work in large companies with 250 staff or more — one in three
BFS STATENT 2023 [6]
How people work
≈ 690 000
people are self-employed — 14 % of everyone in work
BFS SAKE 2024, derived [5]
39 %
of workers are part-time (59 % of women, 21 % of men)
BFS SAKE 2024 [5]
40 h
actually worked per week on average, full-time
BFS, 2025 [8]

Numbers in brackets point to the references at the end of the page. Figures are refreshed when new statistics are published.

Woman in a business suit on a red bicycle with a basket

Part-time is normal, not an exception

Almost four in ten people in work have a job of under 90 % — one of the highest shares in Europe. The gap between women and men is large, and it is exactly this part-time population that fills its spare hours with tasks on the side.[5]

Women working part-time58.7 %
Men working part-time20.5 %
Tailor pinning a red dress on a mannequin

A country of very small companies

Nearly nine in ten Swiss companies have fewer than ten people, and only 1 814 companies in the whole country employ 250 or more. For a tasker this means two things: most potential business clients are small, and being a one-person business is the normal way to work, not an exotic one.[6]

Micro (1–9 staff)89.8 %
Small (10–49)8.4 %
Medium (50–249)1.6 %
Young man arriving with a backpack and a red suitcase

Growth comes from immigration

Of the 76 100 people the country gained in 2025, about nine in ten arrived from abroad. Germans were the largest group, followed by Swiss citizens moving back home. New arrivals are also the people who most often ask how work on the side is regulated.[1]

Growth from immigration92 %
Growth from births minus deaths8 %
How to use these articles

Read in five minutes, act the same day.

1

Start with the numbers

Get the big picture of the country and its labour market first — it makes every rule easier to understand. Read Switzerland in numbers →

2

Check the rules that apply to you

Your permit, your employer and the AHV threshold decide what you can do on the side. Three short articles cover it.

3

Pick a path and earn

Choose the trade or task type that fits your skills and schedule, then take your first paid task on Werkara.

Painting of a dog walker with three dogs on a sunny Swiss street

Every task. One app.

Werkara connects people who need help around the house with verified taskers nearby. Register in a few minutes and get your first task this week.

Become a tasker
References

Where the numbers come from.

  1. [1]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Bestand und Entwicklung der Bevölkerung der Schweiz im Jahr 2025: definitive Ergebnisse. bfs.admin.ch
  2. [2]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Sprachen — Hauptsprachen der Bevölkerung. bfs.admin.ch
  3. [3]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Schweizerische Arbeitskräfteerhebung (SAKE), 4. Quartal 2025: Arbeitsangebot. bfs.admin.ch
  4. [4]
    State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) — Die Lage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, August 2026. seco.admin.ch
  5. [5]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — SAKE in Kürze 2024 — Schweizerische Arbeitskräfteerhebung. bfs.admin.ch
  6. [6]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Unternehmensstruktur STATENT 2023 (provisional), as compiled in KMU in Zahlen 2026 (HSG/OBT). bfs.admin.ch
  7. [7]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Schweizerische Lohnstrukturerhebung (LSE) 2024: erste Ergebnisse — Medianlohn CHF 7 024. bfs.admin.ch
  8. [8]
    Federal Statistical Office (BFS) — Arbeitszeit im Jahr 2025 — Arbeitsvolumenstatistik. bfs.admin.ch
  9. [9]
    Swiss Confederation — Code of Obligations, Art. 329a — minimum holiday entitlement. fedlex.admin.ch

All figures were checked against the sources above on 4 October 2026. Statistics are published once a year (BFS) or monthly (SECO); the "last updated" date at the top of the page changes whenever a figure is refreshed. This page is general information, not tax or legal advice.