More than 8 billion hours were worked in 2025
In 2025, a total of 8.114 billion hours were worked in Switzerland. This figure remained stable compared to the previous year. Between 2020 and 2025, the actual weekly working hours of full-time employees increased to 40 hours and 3 minutes. This is still below the pre-coronavirus level. These are the latest results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
According to the volume of work statistics (AVOL), the number of hours worked by all employed persons in Switzerland in 2025 was 8.114 billion, which was stable compared to the previous year. This stability is due to the increase in jobs (+0.3%) and the simultaneous decline in actual annual working hours per job (-0.3%).
Actual working hours remain below the pre-corona level
The actual weekly working time of full-time employees has increased by more than two hours in five years to 40 hours and 3 minutes in 2025. This increase is due to the low level in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the figure remains lower than in 2019 (40 hours and 54 minutes). The number of vacation weeks increased by 0.2 vacation days to 5.2 weeks per year for full-time employees between 2020 and 2025
(15-19 year olds: 5.5 weeks; 20-49 year olds: 5.0 weeks; 50-64 year olds: 5.6 weeks).
Increase in health-related absences since the pandemic
Between 2020 and 2025, the average annual number of health-related absences (illness or accident) among full-time employees rose from 8.1 to 8.2 days per job. The level remained high after the pandemic-related increase in 2020 (2019: 7.2 days). In 2025, absences were lowest in the sectors «Information and communication» (6.0 days per year), «Professional, scientific and technical services» (6.0 days) and «Financial intermediation» (6.2 days). The longest absences were recorded in the «Construction» (10.1 days) and «Transport and storage» (9.8 days) sectors. Broken down by main occupational group, the fewest days of absence in 2025 were recorded in the occupations with the highest level of qualification (5.1 days for managers, 5.9 days for intellectual and scientific occupations). In contrast, the highest number of absences was recorded for people in the operation and assembly of plant and machinery and for unskilled workers (12.2 and 11.8 days respectively).
International comparisons show different results
For international comparisons, people who are absent for an entire week must be excluded. According to this calculation, the actual working time of full-time employees in Switzerland in 2025 was 42 hours and 24 minutes. Switzerland thus recorded the highest value of the EU/EFTA countries (EU: 37 hours 54 minutes). Taking into account all employees, including the high proportion of part-time workers, the actual working time in Switzerland was 35 hours and 14 minutes, close to the EU average of 35 hours and 24 minutes. If the question «In which country do people work the most?» had to be answered using a single indicator, the total number of hours worked per week would be set in relation to the total population aged 15 and over. According to this indicator, Switzerland ranks fourth behind Iceland, Malta and Cyprus (Switzerland: 22 hours 34 minutes; EU: 19 hours 24 minutes) thanks to its high labor force participation rate.
Source: FSO
