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

Chief executive salary
in Switzerland

To assess a senior executive offer in Switzerland, examine the mandate, the size of the organisation and the components of remuneration.

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

YOUR COMPARISON

Salary calculator: Chief executive / Managing director

Adjust the location, employment percentage and pay period.

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Pay
All SwitzerlandFSO : Switzerland · 2024 · 100 %

Reference median salary

10’831CHF

Standardised gross monthly salary

FSO 2024 · CH-ISCO group 11
Switzerland

Reference average salary

12’669CHF

Gross monthly equivalent

Eurostat 2022 · ISCO major group 1
All Switzerland, regardless of the selected location

Change over 10 years2014–2024

+7.1%

Median for the occupational group

Nominal change
Not adjusted for inflation
What these figures measure

The median covers the occupational group ‘Chief executives, senior officials and legislators’ (CH-ISCO 11), to which this occupation belongs. Average coverage: ISCO major group 1 — managers, 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

9’50010’00010’50011’00011’5002014201620182020202210’831 CHF2024
Median salaryCHF gross / month
View the chart values
CHF gross / month · 100 % · Switzerland
YearP25MedianP75
20147’73810’11013’490
20168’26010’72614’233
20187’66110’37414’380
20207’46710’55014’642
20227’92010’77015’093
20247’73610’83115’276

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?

Chief executives, senior officials and legislators · 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
    Central Switzerland11’500 CHF
    Lucerne · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schwyz · Uri · Zug
  2. 2
    Lake Geneva region11’310 CHF
    Geneva · Valais · Vaud
  3. 3
    Zurich11’100 CHF
    Zurich
  4. 4
    Northwestern Switzerland11’044 CHF
    Aargau · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt
  5. 5
    Espace Mittelland10’500 CHF
    Bern · Fribourg · Jura · Neuchâtel · Solothurn
  6. 6
    Ticino10’419 CHF
    Ticino
  7. 7
    Eastern Switzerland9’756 CHF
    Appenzell Innerrhoden · Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Glarus · Graubünden · St. Gallen · Schaffhausen · Thurgau

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

Compare the mandate as well as the salary

Chief executive titles cover very different organisations. The actual responsibility should remain central to your comparison.

Management scope

Clarify headcount, budget, supervised activities and decision-making authority. Leading a small organisation and a group involve different scopes.

Fixed and variable pay

Separate guaranteed salary, bonuses, equity participation and benefits. Ask about the targets and payment conditions for variable remuneration.

Employee or owner

Distinguish pay for the role from dividends, fees and company results. Turnover does not measure personal income.

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 ‘Chief executive / Managing director’ in Switzerland?

The benchmark shown is the median for the occupational group ‘Chief executives, senior officials and legislators’: CHF 10’831 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 1 — managers, Switzerland’; it should not be compared directly with the FSO median for group 11 (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 the benchmark include a director’s dividends?

The calculator presents salary statistics. It measures neither an owner’s dividends nor the value of their shareholdings. Compare fixed pay, variable pay and any capital income separately.

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 11, 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 1 — managers, 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 30 October 2026. Amounts follow the calculator’s latest validated datasets.