Occupation & salary Switzerland
Gross to net conversion
Our salary calculator works out your exact net wage – including OASI, DI, UI and withholding tax. The average salary is already filled in.
Calculated for the canton of Zurich, age 40, single, no children, no church affiliation. Use the full salary calculator for your personal details.
In many cantons households pay 20-40% more for health insurance than necessary. By comparing, Swiss households save CHF 1'200 per year on average.
Salary data
| By canton | Gross per year | Monthly wage |
|---|---|---|
| zh | 67,873 CHF | 5,656 CHF |
| zg | 73,246 CHF | 6,104 CHF |
| vd | 70,965 CHF | 5,914 CHF |
| ti | 84,000 CHF | 7,000 CHF |
| tg | 70,992 CHF | 5,916 CHF |
| so | 68,491 CHF | 5,708 CHF |
| sh | 65,198 CHF | 5,433 CHF |
| sg | 65,904 CHF | 5,492 CHF |
| lu | 72,092 CHF | 6,008 CHF |
| gr | 65,123 CHF | 5,427 CHF |
| gl | 63,385 CHF | 5,282 CHF |
| ge | 70,154 CHF | 5,846 CHF |
| fr | 78,154 CHF | 6,513 CHF |
| bs | 74,308 CHF | 6,192 CHF |
| be | 67,335 CHF | 5,611 CHF |
| bl | 77,538 CHF | 6,462 CHF |
| ag | 76,123 CHF | 6,344 CHF |
| By qualification | Gross per year | Monthly wage |
|---|---|---|
| University | 74,130 CHF | 6,178 CHF |
| University of applied sciences | 73,975 CHF | 6,165 CHF |
| Vocational training | 64,950 CHF | 5,413 CHF |
| Matura (upper secondary) | 76,229 CHF | 6,352 CHF |
| Intermediate secondary certificate | 62,215 CHF | 5,185 CHF |
| Lower secondary school | 61,846 CHF | 5,154 CHF |
| Continuing education | 73,170 CHF | 6,098 CHF |
| No formal training | 63,577 CHF | 5,298 CHF |
| By gender | Gross per year | Monthly wage | Ø age | Ø work experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 68,602 CHF | 5,717 CHF | 31.5 | 9.8 |
| Female | 64,200 CHF | 5,350 CHF | 32.5 | 10.0 |
Earnings as a design engineer in Switzerland are largely determined by professional experience and further technical training: as practice grows, design engineers take on more complex projects and achieve correspondingly higher salaries. Education also plays a role, with degrees from universities of applied sciences and universities tending to lead to higher pay than a vocational apprenticeship alone. The place of work has a noticeable effect too: in cantons such as Fribourg, Basel-Landschaft and Aargau salaries lie above the Swiss average, while in Glarus and Graubünden they tend to be lower. The sector has an additional effect, as companies with complex, technically demanding products usually pay experienced design engineers more than smaller supplier businesses.
Design engineers develop technical components, assemblies and plant, translating them into precise drawings and digital design models. They work with CAD programs, produce technical documentation and coordinate their designs closely with engineers, production managers and customers. Depending on the sector, the result may be tools, machine parts, piping systems or entire plant components, with functional, economic and manufacturing considerations always having to be taken into account. Design engineers often accompany projects from the first idea to implementation in production and take on coordinating duties as well. In Switzerland they work above all in the machinery, metal and electrical industries and in construction. Entry into the profession typically comes via an apprenticeship as a design engineer, frequently supplemented by further training as a technician at a college of higher education or an engineering degree for more demanding design work.
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