In the study conducted by the opinion research institute Forsa, over 500 employed women in German-speaking Switzerland were asked about their job satisfaction and willingness to change jobs. Overall, women are similarly satisfied with their job as men (85 percent vs. 84 percent). Nevertheless, 37 percent of women think about changing jobs several times a month. While 45 percent are open to the idea but have not yet taken any concrete steps, 12 percent are actively planning a change.
Same satisfaction, but structural disadvantages
Although the Swiss labor market is stable and the fear of losing their job has decreased (14% of women fear losing their job, compared to 25% in 2024), structural challenges remain. Women are three times more likely to work part-time than men - often due to unpaid care work. They also earn less on average than their male colleagues in the private sector.
Higher salary and stability as the most important criteria
When choosing a new employer, women primarily focus on financial security and long-term stability: 59% want a higher salary, 58% value a secure job. Flexible working hours (54%) and good accessibility of the company location (54%) are also key criteria. Whether the job involves working weekends or night shifts also plays a role for many.
Hurdles to changing jobs and attractive benefits
Despite better pay, there are factors that deter women from applying. Particular deterrents are an unfavorable company location (52 percent), a poor management culture (46 percent) and fixed-term contracts (34 percent). Remote work, on the other hand, is less decisive for women than for men (12 percent vs. 24 percent).
The most attractive benefit for both genders is the four-day week (52%). Women also value transparent salary structures (36%) and job-sharing models (19%), while men are more interested in workation (32% vs. 20%). The option of working from home, on the other hand, is not a decisive criterion for most.
"Women in particular need conditions such as flexible working models so that they don't get caught between work and family," says Petra von Strombeck, CEO of New Work. Companies that create corresponding offers could become more attractive as a result.
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Working from home is currently possible for less than half of those surveyed, and for a quarter of those with the option to work from home, the employer has limited this again. Working from home is important to many professionals, but it is only a killer criterion for a few when choosing an employer. These are the results of a survey conducted by the jobs network Xing, for which the market and opinion research institute Forsa interviewed five hundred employees in German-speaking Switzerland at the beginning of the year on the subject of working from home and remote working.
Other results:
- Four out of ten respondents state that they have the opportunity to work from home at least part of the time. Twenty percent have a general obligation to be present and 35 percent have a job that can only be carried out on site. At 50 percent, men are more likely to work from home than women at 29 percent.
- Of the respondents who are able to work from home at least part of the time, 26% say that their employer has already limited their ability to work from home. A further 19 percent fear that a reduction is imminent. Around half (52%) believe that their company will maintain the current options for working from home.
- 41% of respondents stated that the option to work from home makes an employer more attractive. For around a fifth (21 percent) of respondents who are currently unable to work from home, this would be a reason to change employer. However, the lack of home office options is a killer criterion when looking for a job for only a few. While 45 percent refrain from applying if a company's location is not suitable despite the prospect of higher pay, only 21 percent are put off by a lack of home office or remote working opportunities. A poor management culture, bad experiences with the employer among acquaintances, financial difficulties at the company or a poor corporate image are all more important exclusion criteria than the lack of home office options.
- The effect of working from home on productivity is rated positively by respondents who are able to work from home at least some of the time. 21% rate their own work performance as much higher when working from home, 27% as slightly higher. 9 percent think that they achieve slightly less when working from home and 4 percent state that their work performance is much lower at home.
In the working world, communication is more digital, but also more personal, selective and direct. Never before have there been so many podcasts, virtual spaces for exchange, and digital chats. "Inspiring dialog with others, being perceived and appreciated as an individual, being allowed to be authentic, and communicating at eye level are current desires of people in the modern working world - but also in professional networks," says Sabrina Zeplin, Managing Director of Xing. This is also shown by the network's study, which surveyed its members about their personal communication behavior and wishes in professional social networks.
More space for personal communication desired
The increased desire for more individuality is also reflected in members' communication behavior. Asked about their communication preferences, 8 out of 10 of the Xing members surveyed say they feel more comfortable in small, protected communication spaces or in individual dialog. Of those who feel more comfortable in protected spaces, around half say they would want to communicate more actively in professional networks if there were more room for individual communication.
At the same time, 67 percent of respondents believe that those people who are best at presenting themselves particularly well are most likely to be given a stage in professional networks. Only 27 percent think that professional expertise is the decisive factor.
"The traditional world of work continues to promote conformity instead of individuality and diversity. Social networks often add to this when they reinforce pure self-promotion and unreflective applause within filter bubbles. This discourages all those who are interested in authentic exchange and genuine conversation from becoming active themselves," Sabrina Zeplin is convinced. "We take our members' wishes very seriously and are already working on developing new solutions that will offer more room for individual communication in the future."
Individual relevance counts
When asked about their wants and needs, relevant job suggestions - even for those who are not looking - are at the top of the wish list for 56 percent of members, followed by the desire for suggestions from companies that are a good fit (53%) and an interest in exciting people and contacts (51%). Qualitative and relevant news content is what 45 percent of professional network members want.
The common denominator lies in the individual relevance for each member. Professional social networks thus become places of exchange, of being oneself, and of authentic presentation of the members. That's why Xing is currently working on providing its members with precisely those content offers, contact suggestions, or tips on jobs or events that will help them get ahead at that particular moment. Members should be able to benefit from genuine and enriching exchanges with their network.
For the Study has the professional network Xing conducted a survey with around 1,000 Xing members in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland in September 2020.
According to the study, more than half (54 percent) of professionals are basically willing to change jobs in 2021. This means that the willingness to change jobs is practically the same as a year ago (56 percent) and is largely unaffected by the Corona pandemic. 16 percent of respondents even have concrete plans to change jobs this year.
Another 38 percent are open to a change, but have not yet taken any concrete steps. Contrary to what the high willingness to change might suggest, the majority of respondents (87 percent) say they are very or somewhat satisfied with their current job. This figure is also on a par with the previous year.
Younger employees increasingly have concrete plans to switch
A look at the age groups shows a significant increase in the number of people aged 18 to 29 who already have concrete plans to switch in the coming year (29 percent vs. 20 percent at the beginning of 2020). Overall, the willingness to switch has decreased among the over-50s. At 37 percent, this is nine percent below the previous year's figure of 46 percent.
Pandemic inhibits active job search
Although the general willingness to change jobs has remained virtually constant, the Corona pandemic sometimes discourages employees who are willing to change jobs from actively looking for one. Forty-nine percent of those latently willing to change jobs say that Corona is one reason why they have not yet actively looked for a new job. This figure is even significantly higher in the youngest age group, 18 to 29. Here, 68 percent of those latently willing to change jobs feel held back in their active planning by the Corona pandemic. In addition, Corona puts a much stronger brake on employees' concrete plans to change jobs in the retail sector than in other industries.
"A high latent willingness to switch makes actively approaching candidates even more important for companies," explains Robert Bertschinger, Managing Director of Xing Switzerland. "There are many people who are open to a change. But in the current environment, they are more hesitant to become active themselves. Hoping that the right candidate will come forward on their own is therefore not a promising strategy."
Middle management slightly less satisfied
While satisfaction with the current job is at least as high as in the previous year among professionals without management responsibility and among members of senior management, the proportion of rather or very satisfied employees in middle management, for example people with team management functions, decreased slightly from 90 to 85 percent. "Middle management members were often particularly challenged in 2020 by working in a home office, as they had to assume their direct management responsibilities under completely new conditions. This pressure could have influenced satisfaction," concludes Bertschinger.
Younger people in particular are worried about their jobs
Overall, 39 percent of respondents are concerned about job security. Younger people in particular are concerned about the current situation. In the 18 to 29 age group, almost half (46 percent) are worried about job security. In a sector comparison, it is primarily professionals in the retail sector, at 56 percent, who are worried about their own job security. The figures are lower in the industry and manufacturing sectors (39 percent) and services (36 percent).
Dealing with Corona: Good marks for Swiss employers
Just under two-thirds (61 percent) of professionals rate their employer's handling of the Corona crisis to date as good or even very good. Only 8 percent rated their behavior as poor or insufficient. The best marks are awarded by employees in the industry and manufacturing sector, while employees in the retail sector are the most critical.
On behalf of Xing, the market and media research institute Forsa surveyed 501 employed persons aged 18 and over in German-speaking Switzerland between December 4 and 11, 2020, using an online panel on the current working environment and their career plans for 2021. The survey participants were selected by means of representative random sampling.
The immediate impact on the personnel situation was less pronounced than in Germany and Austria, and only a small percentage of Swiss companies anticipate a sustained reduction in personnel requirements. Home office is likely to remain an option for a large proportion of companies even after the pandemic.
For the study, Xing surveyed around 1,150 HR managers and HR professionals from Switzerland, Germany and Austria between mid-May and mid-June on the impact of the Corona pandemic on HR work in their companies. The most important results:
Swiss companies well prepared for home office
Compared with Germany and Austria, Switzerland was well prepared for the lockdown. A third (32 percent) of the companies here state that home office was already possible at any time before the crisis. In Germany, this was the case for only 25 percent of companies, and in Austria for 20 percent. The vast majority (85 percent) of the Swiss companies surveyed also state that home office and remote working will continue to be possible after the Corona crisis. In Germany, only 73 percent and in Austria 79 percent of companies say this.
Impact on workforce planning lower than in Germany and Austria
The Corona crisis has turned many things upside down. Despite this, almost half (47 percent) of the companies surveyed in Switzerland state that the pandemic has no current or short-term impact on their HR planning. This means that the short-term impact in Switzerland is lower than in Germany and Austria, where only 35 and 34 percent of companies, respectively, see no change.
Three out of four companies have hired new staff since the outbreak of the crisis
New employees have started work at 73 percent of the Swiss companies surveyed since mid-March. This puts Switzerland slightly ahead of Germany with 69 percent and Austria with 63 percent. Almost three out of four companies from Switzerland (73 percent) also plan to hire new staff by the end of the year.
Swiss companies invest in employer branding
42 percent of the companies surveyed from Switzerland state that they are investing more heavily in building up their employer brand in the wake of the Corona pandemic. Such investments have decreased at 26 percent. In Germany and Austria, the situation is reversed: The proportion of companies that are reducing their investments in employer branding is predominant.
Xing Switzerland Managing Director Robert Bertschinger says: "Our results show that Swiss companies are thinking sustainably about the topic of employer branding and are maintaining or even increasing corresponding investments in the majority of cases. We also see this as a sign of confidence with regard to the future personnel situation. In addition, conscious investments in the employer brand make sense in times of crisis, as employer branding also works internally and can serve as an important tool for communicating with existing employees."
Pandemic fails to ease shortage of skilled workers
A clear majority of the Swiss companies surveyed (62 percent) expect the shortage of skilled workers to remain a major challenge over the next twelve months. In Germany, only 53 percent are of this opinion, in Austria 58 percent. Around a quarter (26 percent) of Swiss companies believe that staffing requirements will increase over the next twelve months. 14 percent expect a short-term decline in staffing requirements, which will level out again in the foreseeable future, and 15 percent anticipate lower staffing requirements in the long term.
Swiss companies see implementation of New Work well advanced
The term New Work can be used to summarize the various facets of the structural and value changes in our working world. Companies are responding to this development with new working and management models, among other things. Of the Swiss companies surveyed, 20 percent consider this development to be already very advanced within their own organization and state that the principles of New Work are being fully lived out and that corresponding measures are being further expanded. For Germany, this figure is only 9 percent, while in Austria it is 11 percent. A further 30 percent of companies in Switzerland state that they live the principles of New Work to some extent, and 18 percent are not yet involved with New Work, but are planning to introduce corresponding measures in the future.
Robert Bertschinger: "New Work is highly relevant among the Swiss companies surveyed. With the need for flexible working in terms of time and location, certain aspects of New Work also came more into the spotlight in the course of the pandemic. However, living New Work also requires a corresponding mindset that brings values such as trust, agility and transparency to the fore. We hope that the impetus provided by the pandemic will also be able to promote such cultural aspects."
About the survey
As part of the Corona Barometer, the online professional network Xing surveyed 1,152 HR professionals and HR managers from Switzerland, Germany and Austria on the impact of the Corona pandemic on HR work in their companies via its platform between mid-May and mid-June 2020. The majority of companies active on Xing employ so-called "white collar workers". This term covers occupational groups with a commercial, consulting, administrative and engineering focus, occupations with artistic or creative/creative activities, as well as healing professions, curative education professions and social professions.
Robert Bertschinger joined Xing Switzerland in August last year, where he was previously Senior Partnership Manager for the corporate client business, responsible for cooperation with local partners. He took up his position as Managing Director of Xing Switzerland at the beginning of February 2020. As a proven executive and entrepreneur, Robert Bertschinger has extensive management and sales experience in the IT and telecommunications sector.
Before joining Xing, Bertschinger worked as Chief Strategy Officer at Netstream. Other professional positions before that included Vice President Sales & Alliances at Totemo, Country Lead at RSA and Country Manager Switzerland at Cisco IronPort. Robert Bertschinger succeeds Yves Schneuwly, who left the company in 2019.
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"That's what Xing does": The agency Inhalt und Form is launching an awareness campaign together with Xing Switzerland. The campaign shows how Xing can help you find your dream job. In the search for the right job, six protagonists answer the question "What does Xing do for me?
Digital advertising media are used to showcase the content, functions, and tools that Xing offers its users, and job seekers in particular, for this purpose: Free access to employer reviews, salary comparison, tips and guides, and an individually searchable job portal. The campaign will be played out from the end of May to mid-June via display ads, social media and digital out-of-home throughout German-speaking Switzerland.
Responsible at Xing: Sabina Neuhaus (overall responsibility), Valeria Happel (junior marketing manager), Xenia Waltenspül (marketing student). Responsible for content and form: Dominik Stibal (CEO), Karin Estermann (Executive Creative Director), Marcus Josty (Creative Director), David Hugentobler (Creative Director Text), Lukas Maisel (Text/Concept), Mato Bilic (Animation and Graphics), Manuela Marty (Project Management). Direction and production: Rico Rosenberger, Rosenberger Photography.
Xing, the leading social network for professional contacts in German-speaking countries, accompanies its members through the upheavals in the world of work. In an environment of skills shortages, digitalization and changing values, Xing supports its more than 15 million members in combining work and life as harmoniously as possible.
In spring 2018, Xing passed the one million member mark in Switzerland. The aim is to further increase awareness and use of the business network in the future. The benefits and functions of Premium Membership will also be emphasized. To this end, Inhalt und Form has developed an informal online campaign that presents Xing Premium as a partner for developing one's own professional potential. Both online commercials and online banners are used to advertise the various benefits of Premium membership and link to topic-specific landing pages. The campaign was launched on November 22, 2018.
Responsible at Xing: Sabina Neuhaus (Senior Marketing Manager); Valeria Happel (Junior Marketing Manager); Hatay Sanchez (Online Marketing Specialist). Responsible for content and form: Dominik Stibal (CEO); Marcus Josty (CD Art); David Hugentobler (CD Text); Danusha Kuchtova (Text); Sandro Staudenmann (Graphics); Manuela Marty (Project Management). Spots: Joel Lopez (director); Iwish Productions (producer).
The program is called the "Xing Executives Circle" and is aimed exclusively at managers with leadership experience and major budgetary responsibility. In return, Xing members who want to pay this much money for their profile get access to a closed online group. In addition, members meet five times a year at an exclusive event with a maximum of 15 other managers. On September 5, according to Handelszeitung the first group of Swiss Xing noble customers at the "Dolder Grand Hotel" in Zurich.
To date, the cost of profiles on career networks has been manageable. The vast majority of users have a free profile on Linkedin or Xing. Premium memberships on the larger networks cost between 12 and 60 francs per year.
Wirz is Xing's new agency. The digital unit XLAB won a pitch with a two-stage concept that will be implemented in the coming year.
Phase 1 focuses on the new Xing product feature "desired employer" and will be played exclusively on digital channels. Phase 2 will communicate Xing's new brand vision in addition to the aforementioned product feature. In addition to a strong digital focus, advertising will also take place in other channels relevant to the target groups.
Wirz will be responsible for strategy, conception and creation as well as the entire media strategy.
On behalf of XING Switzerland, the market and opinion research company Marketagent.com surveyed around a thousand working people in German-speaking Switzerland on the subject of dream jobs. The most important results:
71 percent would trade their current job for their dream job
Swap your current job for your dream job? More than two-thirds of German-speaking Swiss (71 percent) would jump at the chance if age and education were irrelevant. When asked why they would like to swap their current job for their dream job, almost half of those surveyed (49 percent) cited more fun at work as the reason. A meaningful job was among the reasons for about a third (32 percent) of respondents. Other important factors were the intellectual challenge (30 percent) and the realization of a childhood dream (29 percent). Only then comes the salary: around a quarter (26 percent) would want to swap jobs for the money. Public reputation and prestige, on the other hand, are of little interest. Only just one in ten (11 percent) say that fame and honor would persuade them to change jobs.
Women would like to be veterinarians, men professional athletes
Women would most like to switch to being an animal keeper (9 percent), doctor (7 percent) or psychologist (5 percent). Men, on the other hand, would prefer to earn their bread as professional athletes (8 percent), followed by pilots (6 percent) and lawyers (5 percent). Animal caretakers are just eleventh among men (2 percent), on a par with mountain guides. For this, sweating at work usually goes down badly with women: Professional sportswoman is far behind in 16th place (1 percent), well behind less glamorous professions such as teacher (2 percent) or policewoman (2 percent).
18- to 24-year-olds dream of a career as an archaeologist
The most popular professions are fairly constant across the various age groups, with two notable exceptions: In the youngest age group, 18 to 24-year-olds, of all people, archaeologist comes in second (5 percent). In the 60- to 65-year-old age group, however, writer is at the top of the list (6 percent).
One in three would choose a different profession in retrospect
Almost one in three German-speaking Swiss (31 percent) are unhappy with their actual career choice and, looking back, would choose a different career direction. By contrast, slightly more than half of respondents (55 percent) are satisfied with their choice. Satisfaction with the chosen profession is highest at the beginning and end of a career. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of young respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 and 70 percent of those between the ages of 60 and 65 are convinced of their own career choice. In the 40 to 49 age group, only just under half (49 percent) would choose the same career direction again.
Only one in four would recommend their own profession to young people
When it comes to the professional future of their own offspring, the German-speaking Swiss are much more critical of their own career choice. Only just under a quarter (24 percent) would recommend that their child choose the same career direction. 42 percent would advise their child to choose a career direction other than their own. Respondents in management positions would choose the same career direction for themselves more often than other hierarchical levels (69 percent). Nevertheless, the proportion of respondents in this group who would advise their offspring to choose the same career direction as their own is the lowest at 22 percent.
About the study
The survey was conducted in spring 2017 by the market and opinion research company Marketagent.com on behalf of XING Switzerland using Computer Assisted Web Interviews (CAWI). The respondents were n=1,003 employed persons in German-speaking Switzerland between the ages of 18 and 65. The survey participants were selected using a quota-controlled random procedure. The results of the study are representative for employed persons in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. When naming their dream job, participants could choose from a list of 36 professions in total: Lawyer, archaeologist, architect, doctor, astronaut, banker, bartender, mountain guide, hairdresser, television presenter, firefighter, flight attendant, researcher or inventor, photographer, photographer's assistant, photographer's assistant, photographer's assistant. inventor, photographer, journalist, cook, truck driver, teacher, fashion designer, model, pilot, politician, police officer, PR/social media manager, psychologist, restaurant critic, judge, singer, actor, writer, software developer, sports professional, ski or snowboard instructor, animal keeper, management consultant, magician.
In addition to the Xing Switzerland team around Managing Director René Maeder, colleagues from the E-Recruiting division also work in the new Zurich office. This will be further strengthened on December 1 with Yves Schneuwly as the new country manager.
A total of 17 Xing employees will drive the expansion of Xing in Switzerland from the new office in downtown Zurich. Commenting on the move to the shared office at Gartenstrasse 25, Xing Switzerland Managing Director René Maeder says: "By building up a high-caliber team last year, we laid the foundation for the successful implementation of our local strategy. The bundling of all Xing business areas at a central address is another important step in strengthening our presence in Switzerland and consistently aligning our offering to the needs of the local market."
Yves Schneuwly new country manager for Xing E-Recruiting
The Swiss Xing E-Recruiting team also moves to the shared address. With the arrival of Yves Schneuwly as country manager for e-recruiting in Switzerland, this business client area will also be further strengthened as of December 1. Schneuwly has many years of experience in the talent sector, according to the statement, and joins Xing from employer branding specialist Universum, where he managed the company's business in Switzerland.
The team from Eqipia, the Swiss employee referral company acquired by Xing in April of this year, is also moving into the new office. The integration of the former Eqipia operator Buddybroker into Xing's e-recruiting business has thus also been completed locally. Xing already introduced the recommendation manager in mid-October as an integral part of its services for corporate customers. This completes the existing e-recruiting offering, consisting of the Talent Manager for active candidate search, the Job Market for targeted posting of vacancies, and the Employer Branding Profile for successful positioning as an employer.