KPMG is the best recruiter in Switzerland

KPMG was named Switzerland's Best Recruiter 2025/26 in front of around 150 HR managers. This is the result of the latest Best Recruiters study, which analyzed the recruiting quality of over 400 Swiss and Liechtenstein employers for the 13th time. The presentation of the results on March 24, 2026 in the Papiersaal Zurich reveals a differentiated picture of the current recruiting landscape.

Among the 150 or so guests were HR managers, executives from the country's largest employers as well as the Advisory Board members Kuno Ledergerber and Marco Furtner.

Professional experience is hardly rewarded

In the current study, two mystery applications were sent out for a management position. The decisive difference: age and professional experience of the applicants. The result is clear: despite having more experience, the older person was not accepted more often. Study director Christian Pasteka comments: "Older and therefore experienced applicants are often overlooked, even if they have the ideal qualifications. Potential is therefore often not exploited."

A look at career websites also shows a need for action: Only 18 percent specifically address people with professional experience, and concrete measures for the 50+ generation can only be found in 4 percent of companies. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, employers must not overlook this valuable target group. For many applicants over 50, access to the job market remains difficult.

AI still used cautiously in recruiting

A full 74% of the companies surveyed did not want to provide any information on the use of AI: One potential applicant inquired with the companies surveyed about the respective employer's position on the use of AI in day-to-day work, with only 26 percent responding to the inquiries at all.

When asked about the use of AI in the application process, the employers surveyed said: AI is used, often to support the creation of job advertisements. Only occasionally is AI used systematically for pre-selection by matching CVs with the requirements. However, it is emphasized that the focus is on people and that AI does not make any decisions. In addition, data protection regulations often prevent its use in the selection process.

Study advisor Marco Furtner explains the connection between transparency and trust: "Those who openly communicate how AI is used in the company create trust." This applies from the first touchpoint between applicant and employer and also promotes relationship building.

Stronger focus on health and further training

The communication of benefits has increased by ten percentage points compared to the previous year: almost three quarters of Swiss career websites highlight benefits this year. There has been a particular increase in the communication of health measures such as sports health promotion, which is now addressed by 43% of employers - seven percentage points more than in the previous year. There is also a stronger focus on further training opportunities: Almost three quarters of employers communicate internal course and seminar offerings.

"These measures are offers that increase the quality of life in the long term. Employers are therefore increasingly communicating factors that keep employees with the company for longer - even during the application process," says study director Christian Pasteka.

Salary transparency remains low, equal pay increases

While the Salary Transparency Directive is coming into force in the EU, salaries still do not have to be disclosed in Swiss job advertisements. Although the proportion has risen from 1 percent to 4 percent, it is still negligible.

Equal pay is mentioned more frequently on Swiss career websites than in the previous year: In the previous year it was 12 percent, now 20 percent of employers are addressing equal pay between the genders and thus actively committing to reducing the gender pay gap.

The top 10 recruiters in Switzerland and Liechtenstein

The best recruiters 2025/26 are: 1. KPMG, 2. Promea Sozialversicherungen, 3. Migros Bank, 4. Helsana Versicherungen, 5. Graubündner Kantonalbank, 6. Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft, 7. CSS, 8. IWB Industrielle Werke Basel, 9. SBB, 10. Hilti.

"The shortage of skilled workers requires a targeted approach to applicants, while at the same time the demographics of the labor market pose challenges. The award-winning employers are doing an outstanding job, especially in view of the many challenges that HR is currently facing. Congratulations to KPMG, which has truly earned its overall victory," emphasizes study initiator Markus Gruber.

Student Advisory Board member Kuno Ledergerber congratulates the winners: "Congratulations to the top-placed employers, especially the overall winner KPMG. I would particularly like to emphasize the appreciative way in which the applicants were treated, as all applications were answered quickly and thus full points were achieved in the application response category."