Of Switzerland’s 4.886 million employed people, 681,000, or 13.9%, were primarily self-employed in 2025. The Federal Statistical Office includes both people working on their own account and employees of their own company. The first group made up 6.8% of employment and the second 7.2%. [1]
Self-employment rises with age
The share was 15.8% among men and 11.9% among women. The difference by age was wider: 4.2% for people aged 15 to 24, 9.5% for those aged 25 to 39 and 14.8% for those aged 40 to 54. It reached 19.3% between 55 and 64 and 41.2% from statutory retirement age. [1]
Self-employed people were 49.6 years old on average, compared with 41.3 for employees. The figures therefore describe a form of work often chosen after substantial professional experience or continued beyond retirement age.
Large differences between industries
Agriculture and forestry recorded a 42.1% share. It was 28.0% in other services and 24.8% in professional, scientific and technical activities. Education stood at 5.5%, finance and insurance at 6.0%, and transport and storage at 7.7%. [1]
Longer hours and slightly less holiday
Full-time self-employed people worked an average of 46.8 hours a week, compared with 41.5 for full-time employees. Their working week has nevertheless fallen by 4.9 hours since 2005. They took an average of 23.5 days of holiday, compared with 26.4 for employees. [1]
The category covers very different situations, from a sole trader to a salaried owner of a limited company. Greater economic responsibility is a common feature, but income, risk and social protection can differ sharply within the group.
*Image: AI-generated illustration; OpenAI / Helvetia.rocks Editorial Desk; licence: AI-generated.*