An initiative by OSAM
OBSERVATORY
OF SWISS SALARIESOSAM
SALARIES BY OCCUPATION · CONSTRUCTION

Building joiner salary
in Switzerland

A building joinery offer should explain the timber fittings produced or installed and the balance between workshop and site work. Compare these with the broad salary reference.

Average, median and salary trends in Switzerland. Refine your comparison by city, canton or region.

YOUR COMPARISON

Salary calculator: Building joiner

Adjust the location, employment percentage and pay period.

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Pay
All SwitzerlandFSO : Switzerland · 2024 · 100 %

Reference median salary

6’172CHF

Standardised gross monthly salary

FSO 2024 · CH-ISCO group 71
Switzerland

Reference average salary

6’468CHF

Gross monthly equivalent

Eurostat 2022 · ISCO major group 7
All Switzerland, regardless of the selected location

Change over 10 years2014–2024

+6.0%

Median for the occupational group

Nominal change
Not adjusted for inflation
What these figures measure

The median covers the occupational group ‘Building and related trades workers, excluding electricians’ (CH-ISCO 71), to which this occupation belongs. Average coverage: ISCO major group 7 — craft and related trades workers, Switzerland. These benchmarks cover groups broader than the individual occupation searched for. The two indicators have different populations and reference years.

OVER TIME

How has the reference salary changed?

Median for the occupational group · Switzerland · current francs

Salary over time

5’5005’7506’0006’2506’500201420162018202020226’172 CHF2024
Median salaryCHF gross / month
View the chart values
CHF gross / month · 100 % · Switzerland
YearP25MedianP75
20145’2565’8226’412
20165’2995’8486’425
20185’3615’8576’487
20205’3735’9456’534
20225’4986’0666’682
20245’5876’1726’846

FSO data retrieved: 1 November 2026. The survey is conducted every two years; intervening years are not invented. The five-year view shows the observations available within that window.

LOCATION MATTERS

Compare salaries across Swiss regions

The 26 cantons belong to the seven FSO major regions. The ranking covers this occupational group in the reference year 2024.

GEOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON

Where are median salaries highest?

Building and related trades workers, excluding electricians · 2024

Ranking of the 7 FSO regions for this occupational group. The listed cantons make up each region; the amount is not a separate measurement for each canton.

  1. 1
    Zurich6’444 CHF
    Zurich
  2. 2
    Central Switzerland6’259 CHF
    Lucerne · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schwyz · Uri · Zug
  3. 3
    Lake Geneva region6’165 CHF
    Geneva · Valais · Vaud
  4. 4
    Eastern Switzerland6’137 CHF
    Appenzell Innerrhoden · Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Glarus · Graubünden · St. Gallen · Schaffhausen · Thurgau
  5. 5
    Northwestern Switzerland6’125 CHF
    Aargau · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt
  6. 6
    Espace Mittelland6’119 CHF
    Bern · Fribourg · Jura · Neuchâtel · Solothurn
  7. 7
    Ticino5’728 CHF
    Ticino

CHF gross / month · 100%

Indicative ordering by descending median. * Statistically uncertain value: the regional order does not establish a statistically significant difference.

FSO checked on 1 November 2026
ASSESSING A JOB OFFER

Match the benchmark to building joinery work

Fitting doors, windows or interior woodwork differs from structural carpentry and furniture production. The work described in the offer is more useful than a general trade title.

Products and materials

Identify the building fittings and materials involved, along with the need to interpret plans and take measurements. Clarify responsibility for final fit and finish.

Workshop and installation

Compare preparation, machining, assembly and site installation. Ask how tools, transport of components and coordination with other trades are organised.

New work and renovation

Check the balance between new construction and work in occupied buildings. Compare travel, changing sites and expected working hours.

Occupational reference : FSO · Swiss Standard Classification of Occupations CH-ISCO-19. Comparison guidance: SalarioStat editorial team.

CONTINUE YOUR COMPARISON
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YOUR NEXT STEP

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THE WIDER PICTURE

Salary is only a starting point

YOUR QUESTIONS

Answers to your questions

Useful explanations to interpret the figures and prepare your comparison.

What is the salary for ‘Building joiner’ in Switzerland?

The benchmark shown is the median for the occupational group ‘Building and related trades workers, excluding electricians’: CHF 6’172 gross per month at full-time hours in 2024. This is a group statistic, not a median isolating this occupation alone. Consider duties, responsibilities and employment conditions when comparing an offer.

How can salaries be compared by workplace location in Switzerland?

The calculator lets you select Switzerland as a whole, a major region, a canton or a city. For cities and cantons, the median displayed is that of their FSO major region. The average remains a national benchmark. Selecting a location does not turn these figures into a statistic for that municipality.

What is the difference between average and median salary?

The median divides jobs into two halves: one earns less and the other more. The average adds up earnings and divides them by the number of observations. Here, the Eurostat average (2022) covers ‘ISCO major group 7 — craft and related trades workers, Switzerland’; it should not be compared directly with the FSO median for group 71 (2024).

Are the figures gross or net? Is the 13th-month salary included?

Amounts are gross. The FSO median is standardised to full-time work of 40 hours a week and includes one twelfth of the 13th-month salary and annual special payments. Its annual equivalent is calculated by multiplying by 12, without adding a 13th month. Net income depends on personal deductions and is not calculated here.

Does this page also cover structural carpenters and furniture makers?

This detailed occupation concerns building joiners. Structural timber work and furniture manufacture have different remits, even where tools or skills overlap. The salary reference is broader than building joinery, so it should not be treated as a precise wage for each trade.

How are the data on this page updated?

This page uses the same official datasets as the main calculator. They are checked automatically each month; the last valid data are retained if a check fails. A recent check does not change the statistical year: surveys publish results according to their own schedules.

VERIFIABLE FIGURES

Sources and calculation method

Sources, populations and reference years remain visible for every indicator.

Full methodology
01 · FSO

Median, distribution and trends

Swiss Earnings Structure Survey. CH-ISCO group 71, all ages and sexes, public and private secondary and tertiary sectors. The primary sector is excluded. Data standardised to full-time employment; current francs.

Latest statistical year
2024
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the FSO table
02 · EUROSTAT

Swiss reference average

Structure of Earnings Survey. Coverage: ISCO major group 7 — craft and related trades workers, Switzerland. Mean gross annual earnings in full-time equivalents, divided by 12 for the monthly view. This group is broader than the FSO group. Economic activities B–S: primary sector excluded.

Statistical year
2022
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the Eurostat table

Editorial team: SalarioStat, an OSAM initiative · Occupational content reviewed on 2 November 2026. Amounts follow the calculator’s latest validated datasets.