For more "me-time": many Swiss employees want to work less

Trade policy uncertainties, a shortage of skilled workers, increased automation in companies and companies' reluctance to hire: The Swiss labor market is struggling with challenges. The tense economic situation is exacerbating the situation for employees, companies and the economy - especially as the retirement of baby boomers threatens further bottlenecks.

However, employees in German-speaking Switzerland do not see this as a reason to work more: 58% do not believe that working more is necessary to maintain prosperity. Last year, the figure was 55%. There are clear differences between the sexes and generations: Women (60 %) deny the necessity more categorically than men (56 %). The "no" to overtime also increases with age. While 48% of 18 to 24-year-olds are less likely than the average to hold this opinion, this figure rises to 65% for employees over the age of 55.

Desire for more me-time, less stress and more time for family and friends

62% of employees in German-speaking Switzerland would even like to work less. When asked about the reasons for this, 64% say they would like to have more time for themselves - for hobbies or personal projects, for example. 50 percent would like to have less stress, 44 percent more time for relatives and friends. Only 13% would like to work less in order to have more time for care work.

When it comes to the question of more or less work, the 35 to 44-year-olds in particular stand out, as they want to work less more often than average (77 %). Among those who are only a few years older - the 45 to 54-year-olds - the figure is only 46% (18 to 24-year-olds: 68 %, 25 to 34-year-olds: 67%, 55 to 65-year-olds: 55 %).

Respondents are generally less satisfied with their work-life balance than last year: 58% are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" (2024: 60 %). 4 percent (2024: 3 %) are "very dissatisfied" or "dissatisfied".

"The results show: People want to work - but under conditions that enable a healthy, fulfilling life," says Thomas Kindler, Managing Director of the jobs network XING. "The fact that satisfaction with work-life balance has fallen is not ideal. Companies should use flexibility and individual working time models as levers to meet the challenges of the labor market and strengthen employee motivation."

Financial incentives as a motivator for extra work

Those who do not want to work less (38 %) primarily cite financial reasons (62 %) - they need the money. For many (55 %), enjoying their work is also the decisive factor. Among those who would actually be prepared to work more than they do at the moment (43 %), money also plays the decisive role (65 %) - but here, too, enjoyment of work is in second place at 41 percent.

Monetary aspects are the main incentive for voluntary overtime: bonus payments and premiums are the strongest motivator (51 %), followed by a significantly higher salary over and above the proportionate number of hours worked (45 %), additional vacation days (44 %), a higher salary in proportion to the number of hours worked (42 %), and tax incentives (31 %).

Employees feel the shortage of skilled workers and difficult economic situation in their day-to-day work

Employees in German-speaking Switzerland tend to be worried about their personal prospects on the job market. The chances of finding a new job are currently viewed rather pessimistically: 61% find it "rather" to "very difficult" (2024: 62 %), while only 39% rate it as "not at all difficult" to "rather not difficult" (2024: 38 %). The shortage of skilled workers is also being felt by many in everyday life: 36% report difficulties in finding suitable staff. 23% report that their stress levels have increased and 22% report an increased workload.

20 percent state that there is a bad atmosphere and motivation problems in the team and just as many state that the quality of work is suffering as many additional tasks have to be taken on. 18 percent have been given more responsibility. 14 percent feel that customer satisfaction is declining. However, fewer employees than in the previous year (2025: 9 %; 2024: 13 %) stated that their company is now paying more attention to the concerns of employees in order to retain them."There is clear pressure to act here," says Thomas Kindler. "It is significantly more time-consuming and expensive for companies to recruit and train new employees than to retain existing ones, especially when it comes to highly qualified specialists. The figures show that many people are willing to go the extra mile and work harder if they are offered the right incentives. For many people, enjoying their work is just as important as money. And even in difficult economic times, motivation and appreciation cost nothing except time well invested."

Source: https://www.xing.com/