Wages in Switzerland are quite a bit higher than elsewhere in Europe, but the actual amounts vary according to jobs, sectors, as well as – most importantly – the level of education and kind of diploma obtained.
A new Swiss government study analysed the income of 150,000 people in Switzerland 10 years after they obtained their university diploma.
The study, carried out by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), surveyed salaries of people who continued to pursue education and training from lowest to highest levels.
It found that people with highest diplomas have an income that is from 400 to 1,300 francs per month higher than those who had not attained the same level of education.
Why such a wide gap though?
That’s because “income depends very much on the field of education in which the qualification was obtained, and is higher in technical, finance, management and administration fields,” the FSO reported.
“Salary trends are also strongly influenced by the course of a person’s life and their age.”
What else does the study reveal?
The financial advantage is around 1,000 francs per month for those with basic vocational training, and between 1,100 and 1,200 francs for those with higher vocational training.
It is around 600 to 800 francs for those with a bachelor’s degree, and around 400 to 1,000 francs for those with a master’s degree from a university of applied sciences (HEP).
This is the general picture but what about specifics?
The analysis indicated that the income of people working in the management and administration sector in Switzerland, reaches 11,700 francs per month for a master’s degree.
The marketing, secretarial and accounting sector does even better, with 12,700 francs for a federal diploma. In electricity and mechanics, it reaches 12,400 francs for a doctorate.
On the other hand, for vocational training (apprenticeship) diplomas, the highest salaries are found in technical fields, with, for example, 7,900 francs for a federal certificate of competence (CFC) in information and communication technologies.
“In view of the present data, it would seem that continuing one’s academic and/or training course represents a clear increase in one’s standard of living and personal finances,” the FSO noted.
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Another finding
Not surprisingly, the analysis found that women have lower incomes than men with the same-level diplomas.
Concretely, regardless of their employment rate, they are 20 percent less than men’s after obtaining equivalent qualification.
These differences are 16 percent for those with basic vocational training, 19 percent for those with a university qualification, and 33 percent for those with a higher vocational training qualification.
A significant portion of these differences, however, is related to women’s lower employment rates.
For full-time work, they range from 6 percent for those with a university qualification to 12 percent. for those with a higher vocational training qualification.