Social benefits
Annual leave
Swiss law guarantees workers the right to annual holiday leave; the minimum amount required by law is:
Four weeks for workers and apprentices over 20 years old, and five weeks for workers and apprentices up to 20 years old.
This minimum length of holiday allowance may be extended through contractual agreements. Most companies only offer a fifth holiday week to employees over 20 years if these have attained a certain number of years of service and/or reached a certain age.
The length of holiday in excess of the legal minimum can be reduced again in the event that an employee is unable to work for an extended period of time due to illness, or if he/she takes unpaid leave, etc.
As a general rule, annual leave must be granted during the corresponding year of service and must include at least two consecutive weeks. You will be paid your full salary for the entire duration of the holidays. For as long as the employment relationship continues, holiday cannot be replaced by payment or other benefits.
Maternity leave
Working mothers are entitled to maternity benefit for the first 14 weeks following the birth of a child. To compensate for their loss of income, they receive 80 % of their previous average earnings, subject to a maximum of CHF 196 per day.
Family allowances
All employees and all self-employed persons living in Switzerland with children are entitled to family allowances. They receive a child allowance of at least CHF 200.00 per child each month for children up to the age of 16 (and up to the age of 20 for children who are ill or disabled, and not capable of working), and a training allowance of at least CHF 250.00 per child each month for children in school aged between 16 and 25. The cantons can choose to prescribe higher allowances, and to introduce birth and adoption allowances.
Seasonal workers and cross-border commuters
If you are a cross-border commuter from an EU/EFTA state, you are entitled to Swiss family allowances for your children even if they live in an EU or EFTA country.
If your partner works in the country where both you and your children live, your family allowance will be paid by the country of your residence. However, you will be paid any difference between that and the family allowance payable in Switzerland.
For further information on family allowances for children that live abroad, see the brochure mentioned below.
Allowance amount and more detailed information
Information about family allowances and a table indicating the amount of family allowances in the individual cantons, and an overview of which cantons have introduced birth and adoption allowances can be found here: (link only available in the official national languages, otherwise your employer can help you with that as well). Here is the LINK.
Jobseekers’ allowance
By law, the entire employed population in Switzerland is insured against unemployment. The self-employed do not pay any contributions and are therefore not insured.
The aim of the unemployment insurance is to secure adequate compensation for unemployed persons. Unemployment allowances are paid out in the form of daily allowances by the unemployment insurance fund chosen. In order to be able to claim unemployment compensation, a number of prerequisites need to be met.
All jobseekers have access to the regional job centres (Regionale Arbeitsvermittlungszentren (RAV)), where they are given advice and assistance. They are allocated a specific advisor and need to come to progress and follow-up meetings on a regular basis.