Share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland

Switzerland: Share of employment outside the formal sector was 2.13 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.13
Change on year
up 30.0%
World rank
77th
of 81 countries
All-time high
2.52
in 2007
All-time low
1.64
in 2023
Years of data
17
2007–2024

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland, 2007–2024

01232007201520242007: 2.52009: 2.42010: 2.42011: 1.72012: 1.72013: 1.92014: 1.72015: 1.92016: 2.12017: 1.92018: 2.12019: 1.92020: 1.82021: 2.12022: 1.82023: 1.62024: 2.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland is 2.13, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 30.0% on the previous year and up 27.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland peaked at 2.52 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1.64, in 2023.

That places Switzerland 77th out of 81 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Switzerland, 2007 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2007 2.52
2009 2.44 -3.1%
2010 2.37 -2.6%
2011 1.67 -29.7%
2012 1.7 +1.6%
2013 1.88 +11.0%
2014 1.67 -11.4%
2015 1.88 +12.6%
2016 2.05 +9.1%
2017 1.87 -8.8%
2018 2.06 +10.2%
2019 1.89 -8.4%
2020 1.78 -5.7%
2021 2.07 +16.1%
2022 1.77 -14.3%
2023 1.64 -7.3%
2024 2.13 +30.0%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 2.13 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.33, 40% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 2.13 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.51, 39% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.48 2.44 2.52 2
2010s 1.9 1.67 2.37 10
2020s 1.88 1.64 2.13 5

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 74 Slovenia 3.02 compare
  2. 75 Belgium 2.68 compare
  3. 76 Iceland 2.34 compare
  4. 78 Norway 2.02 compare
  5. 79 Finland 1.7 compare
  6. 80 Denmark 1.45 compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More work & labour data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland?
Share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland was 2.13 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 2.52 in 2007.
What is the lowest share of employment outside the formal sector recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.64 in 2023.
How does Switzerland rank for share of employment outside the formal sector?
Switzerland ranks 77th out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of employment outside the formal sector rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of employment outside the formal sector in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-employment-outside-the-formal-sector-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of employment outside the formal sector (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
81 places, 1,202 data points, 1999–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for employment outside the formal sector is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.