1st quarter: Company start-ups in Switzerland at an all-time high
Never before have more startups been registered in Switzerland in a quarter than this year. New openings increased by 7.1 percent, while they fell in neighboring countries.
In Switzerland, 13,598 new companies were entered in the commercial register in the first three months of the current year. Company formations thus reached a new historic high. Never before have more start-ups been registered in Switzerland in a single quarter. Compared to the same quarter last year, new openings increased by 7.1 percent, with all regions recording growth. One of the biggest winners in the wave of start-ups was the Ticino region. Among the industries, the crafts and personal services sectors recorded the highest percentage growth in startups. These are the findings of a recent study by Dun & Bradstreet, which takes a detailed look at startups in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Robust business climate
In Switzerland, there has been a significant increase in start-up activity, while at the same time there has been a marked decline in business openings in the neighboring countries of Germany and Austria. The reasons for this are of various kinds. For example, the business climate in Switzerland, as measured by the KOF economic barometer of the ETH Zurich, developed comparatively robustly in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs stated that "current indicators point to a solid development of the Swiss economy". Other points include the relatively low inflation rate and the still favorable financing conditions. These developments show that Switzerland has a solid position compared to other European countries and provides incentives for business start-ups.
The whole study is available here.
