8.6% of employees work in shifts with rotating working hours

In Switzerland, a total of 15.9% of employees worked shifts in 2022, slightly more than half of them with varying working hours (8.6% of employees). The prevalence of shift work varies greatly between economic sectors. The highest shares of more than 20% of shift work with rotating working hours can be found in the following sectors: Transport and storage, hotels and restaurants and health and social work. These are some of the findings from the publication "Shift workers in Switzerland 2002-2022" by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

According to the self-declaration, a total of 593,000 people in Switzerland worked shifts in 2022. This corresponds to 15.9% of employees (excluding apprentices). 27.1% of shift workers usually work alternating shifts including nights (4.3% of employees) and a further 27.0% in alternating shifts without night work (also 4.3% of employees). The remaining 45.9% of shift workers work either only during the day, only in the evening or only at night, without rotation. Only the first two groups are commented on below in order to take into account "classic" shift work with rotating working hours.

Foreigners are more likely to work shifts

Men are more likely than women to work shifts including night work (4.5% compared to 4.1%), while women are more likely to work shifts without night work (5.4% compared to 3.2%). Both shift models with varying working hours are more common among foreign nationals than among Swiss nationals (with night work: 4.5% compared to 4.2%; without night work: 5.4% compared to 3.8%). Rotating shift work without night work is particularly common among employees from third countries (8.1%; EU/EFTA: 4.4%).

Shift with night work more common among under 40s

25- to 39-year-olds are the most likely to work shifts including nights (5.1%), followed by 15- to 24-year-olds (4.8%). The figure for 40 to 64-year-olds is less than 4%. Shift work without regular night work is most common among 15- to 24-year-olds (5.9%), followed by 55- to 64-year-olds (4.8%). A breakdown by employment level shows that full-time employees generally work rotating shifts, including nights, more frequently than part-time employees (5.0% compared to 3.1%). The opposite is true for shift work without night shifts (part-time employees: 5.0%; full-time employees: 3.9%).

16.2% in the "transportation and warehousing" sector with shift work including night work

A breakdown by economic sector shows a very different distribution of rotating shift work. In the hospitality industry, 19.4% of employees work shifts without night work, but only around 3% including night work. In the "transportation and storage" sector, the ratio is reversed (shift work incl. night: 16.2%; without night: 7.2%). In "Health and social work", both shift models amount to 11.1% each.

A quarter of plant and machine operators with rotating shift work

There are also clear differences in shift work with rotating working hours depending on the occupation. This form of work is most frequently practiced by plant and machine operators and in assembly occupations (with night work: 17.5%; without night work: 8.4%). Service and sales occupations follow in second place (with night work: 7.7%; without night work: 10.9%). In contrast, shift work is comparatively rare among managers, office workers and related occupations as well as craft and related occupations.

No major differences in health status

In 2022, a total of 87.1% of employees were in good or very good health. This value is practically the same for shift workers with varying working hours and night work (87.3%) and slightly lower for those without night work (84.7%). A "healthy worker effect" cannot be ruled out here (only healthy people remain in strenuous activities). Poor or very poor general health affects 1.8% of employees overall, and slightly more than 2% of shift workers with alternating shifts (with or without night work). In 2020, 11.1% of shift workers with varying working hours stated that they had suffered at least one accident with injury at work in the last twelve months. At 6.6%, this figure is significantly lower for employees as a whole.

Source: FSO