Swiss Employer Award 2025: two surprising sectors

On January 16, 2025, the 24th Swiss Employer Awards were presented at the Lake Side in Zurich. With 50,935 participants from 149 companies in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, the survey is the largest Swiss employee survey. The best employers in their respective size category are: Baumann Koelliker Group, Corti Spleiss Holding AG, Wia - Wohnen im Alter Sonnmatt and Seeblick Haus für Pflege & Betreuung. The two special prizes: The rising star of the year is Hochgebirgsklinik Davos AG and the innovation prize for a modern working environment goes to Reha Rheinfelden.

Construction and care centers surprise as winners

Surprisingly, two of the four winning companies came from the construction industry and two from the retirement and care centers sector. Who would have thought that, despite the major challenges faced by these two sectors, they would be among the winners and outperform all companies from the other sectors? A comparison of these sectors with all 149 Swiss companies surveyed reveals a remarkable similarity: of the 17 dimensions examined that comprehensively describe workplace quality, the greatest positive deviations from the Swiss benchmark in both sectors relate to the same dimensions: employee development and dealing with change.

Both sectors appear to place above-average importance on the professional development of their employees and are characterized by a rapid response to external changes. The shortage of skilled workers is a major issue in these sectors, which certainly encourages the winners to adapt quickly to their environment and find innovative solutions. It is interesting to note that the "work and leisure" dimension is significantly below the Swiss benchmark and yet overall employee satisfaction and commitment are very high, meaning that the winners were able to outperform all other companies in their size category. This shows that being a great employer is not down to the workload.

The Swiss Employer Award is the most representative award for determining employer attractiveness in Switzerland. The decisive factor for this award is the detailed assessment of a company's employees with regard to their current work situation. The scientifically developed questionnaire consists of around 60 questions and was completed by an average of 76% of all employees of a company. As a result, the assessments are extremely valid and provide a differentiated picture of the working environment. A total of 45 companies were awarded the Swiss Employer Award label and a further 33 companies received a quality seal. The latter companies outperformed the Swiss benchmark in at least one of the three central target variables - overall satisfaction with the work situation, commitment to the employer or no resignation - but are not among the best employers in Switzerland and are therefore not included in the rankings.

The winners of the Swiss Employer Awards 2025

Large companies (1,000+ employees)

1. Baumann Koelliker Group
2. Luzerner Kantonalbank AG
3. Valens clinics

Medium-sized companies (250-999 employees)

1. Corti Spleiss Holding AG
2. Pistor AG
3. Aargau Cantonal Bank

Medium-sized companies (100-249 employees)

1. Wia - Living in old age Sonnmatt
2. Ameron Collection Switzerland
3. BitHawk AG

Small companies (50-99 employees)

1. Seeblick House for care and support
2. Esslinger AG
3. Breitenmoser Appenzeller Meat Specialties AG

Special prices

Rising star of the year: Hochgebirgsklinik Davos AG

Innovative project for a modern working environment: Rehab Rheinfelden

Further information and complete ranking list