Switzerland: 46% Increase in Average Salary of Professional Education & Training Graduates

Graduates of Professional Education and Training (PET) receive a higher average salary six years after completing their studies, an increase compared to the salary they received five years after completing the same education, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said.

According to a study conducted by FSO which collected data for eight years, specifically from 2013 to 2021, in a full-time job, PET graduates earned a median income of CHF 7800 (€7,902) per month six years after obtaining the qualification. This is an increase of 46 percent or CHF 2500 more (€2,533.18) compared to the median income they earned five years after graduation in professional education and training, Erudera.com reports.

“These earnings vary significantly depending on the qualification obtained, the field of training and sex. In three fields of colleges of professional education and training, the training phase is linked to substantial income decreases,” a press release issued by FSO in January this year, said.

Upon completion of studies in 2020, three in ten people graduating from Swiss higher education institutions have struggled to find a job that fulfilled their expectations. Figures released last year by FSO showed that these students held a bachelor’s degree from a University of Applied Sciences or a Master’s from a cantonal university.

Factors that caused job search difficulties were lack of work experience and the economic condition after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The same also found that fewer students with a degree in education were experiencing such difficulties, with only one in ten students stating they struggled to find a job that suited their interest.

Differently, a previous study, also by FSO, revealed that nine in ten students graduating from Swiss higher education institutions find jobs in fields related to their degrees. University graduates were unlikely to work in their field of study in the first year after graduation.

“A one percentage point higher share of vacancies is associated with a three percentage point lower risk of inadequate employment,” FSO’s statement read.

According to Swiss universities data, the organization representing the country’s institutions of higher education, there were 272,329 students in Switzerland in the 2021/22 academic year. Of these, 164,752 studied at universities, 84,920 at universities of applied sciences and arts, and 22,657 at universities of teacher education.

The share of women at universities in Switzerland in 2021 was 52 percent, while in universities of applied sciences and arts, 49 percent. This percentage was significantly higher at universities of teacher education, where 72 percent of all students pursuing education, were women.

>> Survey: 8% of University Graduates in Switzerland Were Afraid of Losing Their Jobs in 2021

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