Official website of the Swiss watch industry

On 27 June, the Convention patronale of the Swiss watch industry (CP) announced the results of its traditional census which, for the first time, included new fields of investigation. As well as statistics on personnel and brands, it supplied a profile of the staff and their level of training. The results will serve as guidelines for future decisions taken by the CP, particularly in the field of training.

As of 30 September 1999, there were 34,655 people working in the watch and microtechnology industry, a year-on-year rise of 441 (+1.3%). For the second consecutive year, therefore, the industry created jobs (1,100 in 1998). This trend, the result of a healthy business climate, should be further consolidated in the months to come in view of the excellent results recorded since the end of last summer.

These positive figures contrast with the slight drop in the number of companies included in the census. This fell by 14 to 567 (- 2.4%), a decrease which can be partly explained by the movement towards integration.
These variations, however, need to be looked at relatively: since the middle of the 1980's, the number of employees has hovered around the 33,000 mark, while the number of watch companies has stabilised around 580. The fluctuations recorded in 1999, therefore, do not suggest any major shift in the long term.

The majority of the workforce is employed by companies affiliated to the CP and consequently subject to the labour agreement signed with the unions. This agreement concerns 400 companies (70.5% of the overall total) employing 28,280 people (81.6% of the overall total).
Over 90% of the workforce is concentrated in the Jura arc region. As the following figures indicate (in both personnel and percentage), Neuchâtel clearly remains the leading watch canton:

Outside the Jura arc, there are only three cantons with any significant number of people employed in the watch industry: Ticino (1,086), Valais (587) and Fribourg (336).


The companies in the watch industry exercise a whole range of activities, from assembling finished watches to manufacturing spare parts, from poli-shing to electroplating. They also include many firms in the tertiary sector (direct sales, sales representation, etc.). Interestingly, almost 30% also practise another line of business that is not directly linked to watches, like medical technology and the connective industry. The manufacturing of watch components (bracelets, dials, etc.) is the most widespread activity, followed by the assembling and finishing of watch products.

The watch industry is principally made up of small businesses: three out of four employ fewer than 50 people, while only nine have a workforce exceeding 500. On average, a watch company employs a staff of around sixty.

The sexes are almost equally represented in the watch sector, with men holding down 53.5% of the jobs and women 46.5%. This compares with an overall Swiss average of 44% for women.

The industrial nature of watchmaking means that three employees out of four work in production, with only one out of five in administration. And while some work is still carried out at home, mostly by women, it only accounts for a mere 2% overall.

Thanks to the new census, a clearer picture has emerged of the level of training and education of those employed in the watch sector. More than half have done further education or have a diploma. The rest comprise semi- or non-qualified personnel working mainly in production.

July 05, 2000