Minimum wage
Switzerland has no federal minimum wage — it is cantonal. Some cantons (e.g. Geneva, Basel-Stadt) have a statutory minimum, while others (e.g. Vaud) currently have no enacted rate. The values shown are those in force for 2026.
Switzerland has no federal minimum wage
Switzerland has no federal (nationwide) minimum wage — there is no single figure that applies across the country. The minimum wage is a cantonal matter: each of the 26 cantons decides for itself whether to introduce one and how much it should be. Most cantons have none at all; where that is the case, pay is governed by the employment contract, a collective agreement (GAV), or the market.
Because of this, there is no such thing as one “Swiss minimum wage” to look up — you look at the canton where you work. The same job can carry a legally protected hourly rate in one canton and no cantonal floor at all in the one next door.
Cantons with an enacted minimum wage
These are the cantons that have a minimum wage. The amounts are per working hour, in Swiss francs (CHF):
| Canton | Minimum hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Genève | CHF 24.59 |
| Basel-Stadt | CHF 22.20 |
| Jura | CHF 21.40 |
| Ticino | CHF 20.00 |
Genève has the highest minimum wage (CHF 24.59 per hour) and Ticino the lowest (CHF 20.00 per hour). Some cantons also set separate hourly rates for particular sectors (agriculture, for example) — the general rate is shown here.
A further canton (Neuchâtel) also has a cantonal minimum wage, but its current figure could not be confirmed from a primary source for here, so it is not shown.
Vaud: a mandate without a rate
The canton of Vaud is a special case. In a 2026 vote, a constitutional principle of a minimum wage was accepted — but the specific law that would implement it, along with the cantonal government’s counter-proposal, was rejected at the same time.
The result: a constitutional mandate exists, but no rate has been enacted. Until the cantonal government drafts and passes new legislation, there is no official hourly figure for Vaud that a calculator could show — which is why in the table above this canton appears without a number.
The role of the GAV (collective agreement)
If your canton has no minimum wage, that does not mean there is no floor at all. The Swiss Code of Obligations (OR, Art. 322) defines salary as what is “agreed, customary, or set by a standard or collective employment contract.”
In practice this means a collective agreement — a GAV (German Gesamtarbeitsvertrag), or CCT in French — or a standard employment contract for your sector can set a minimum wage even where the canton has none. So before you accept a job, check whether a GAV covers your line of work; it is often more decisive than the cantonal rule. The calculators on this site do not model GAV minimums — those are negotiated sector by sector.
What this means for you
If you work in a canton that has a minimum wage (such as Genève), your hourly rate cannot legally fall below the cantonal figure — regardless of your residence permit or the fact that you came from abroad. If you work in a canton with no minimum wage, there is no cantonal floor, but a GAV for your sector may still protect you.
Either way, compare the amount in your contract with the cantonal minimum in the table above and with any GAV for your industry. If you work across cantons or are considering a move, keep in mind that the floor changes at the cantonal border.
Minimum wage — frequently asked questions
The figures shown are the amounts in force, taken from the sources cited on this page. If one of them changed recently it may not be reflected here yet, and none has been through our final sign-off — what governs is the cited cantonal or collective-agreement text.