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

Secretary salary
in Switzerland

A general secretarial offer should specify the administrative work, people supported and expected autonomy. Compare these details with the broader occupational-family salary reference.

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

YOUR COMPARISON

Salary calculator: Secretary, general duties

Adjust the location, employment percentage and pay period.

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Pay
All SwitzerlandFSO : Switzerland · 2024 · 100 %

Reference median salary

6’637CHF

Standardised gross monthly salary

FSO 2024 · CH-ISCO group 41
Switzerland

Reference average salary

6’918CHF

Gross monthly equivalent

Eurostat 2022 · ISCO major group 4
All Switzerland, regardless of the selected location

Change over 10 years2014–2024

+8.5%

Median for the occupational group

Nominal change
Not adjusted for inflation
What these figures measure

The median covers the occupational group ‘General and keyboard clerks’ (CH-ISCO 41), to which this occupation belongs. Average coverage: ISCO major group 4 — clerical support 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

5’5005’8756’2506’6257’000201420162018202020226’637 CHF2024
Median salaryCHF gross / month
View the chart values
CHF gross / month · 100 % · Switzerland
YearP25MedianP75
20145’0986’1187’244
20165’2346’1907’276
20185’1626’2037’353
20205’2796’2907’380
20225’4126’4137’527
20245’6176’6377’762

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?

General and keyboard clerks · 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
    Zurich6’949 CHF
    Zurich
  2. 2
    Northwestern Switzerland6’739 CHF
    Aargau · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt
  3. 3
    Lake Geneva region6’730 CHF
    Geneva · Valais · Vaud
  4. 4
    Central Switzerland6’670 CHF
    Lucerne · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schwyz · Uri · Zug
  5. 5
    Espace Mittelland6’625 CHF
    Bern · Fribourg · Jura · Neuchâtel · Solothurn
  6. 6
    Eastern Switzerland6’501 CHF
    Appenzell Innerrhoden · Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Glarus · Graubünden · St. Gallen · Schaffhausen · Thurgau
  7. 7
    Ticino5’296 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

Define the everyday secretarial workload

Diary management, correspondence and telephone work can be combined in different ways. Distinguish general secretarial duties from an executive support remit.

Documents and communication

Clarify correspondence, document preparation, filing and telephone duties. Ask which systems are used and how frequently each required language is needed.

People and priorities

Identify the individuals or teams supported, the number of diaries and the responsibility for appointments. Establish who resolves competing requests.

Autonomy and hours

Compare responsibility for checking documents and following up deadlines. Check office attendance, contracted hours and the employment percentage.

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 ‘Secretary, general duties’ in Switzerland?

The benchmark shown is the median for the occupational group ‘General and keyboard clerks’: CHF 6’637 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 4 — clerical support workers, Switzerland’; it should not be compared directly with the FSO median for group 41 (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.

Is a secretary automatically an executive assistant?

No. This page concerns general secretarial functions, while an executive assistant may have a different coordination and decision-support remit. Titles alone can be ambiguous. Compare the tasks and autonomy; the broad salary reference does not imply that the roles are interchangeable.

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 41, 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 4 — clerical support 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.