Company Successions in Switzerland: Pressure Wave Rises

The Swiss umbrella organization for business succession CHDU presents for the first time a "Succession Demography". It documents the development of all companies, organizations and enterprises registered in the HR: While in 1922 there were just under 80,000, today there are over 680,000. Currently, company succession will soon be an issue for around 93,000 Swiss SMEs. This corresponds to a good 15 % of all companies in Switzerland.

The number of companies in Switzerland continues to rise - and with it the number of company successions. (Image: Swiss Confederation for Business Succession (CHDU))

With the Succession Demography of Switzerland, the Swiss Confederation for Business Succession (CHDU) underlines the importance of company successions. Depicted on the canton of Zurich, a "succession map" was presented for the first time. It shows 100 years of Swiss and Zurich succession development and demographics - from 1922 to 2022. The surveys of the succession demographics of Switzerland and the Canton of Zurich in the Succession Map 2022 result from the comparison of foundations and the current stock of sole proprietorships, collective limited partnerships, cooperatives, limited liability companies and stock corporations registered in the Swiss Commercial Register over the period from 1922 to 2022, in each case in 10-year steps.

Company successions on the rise

The figures are impressive: Whereas only 80,000 companies were entered in the commercial register in 1922, by the end of 2022 the number had risen to 680,000, with a further upward trend if the developments in company formations further into consideration. If around 15% of all companies continue to enter the succession process, the threshold of 100,000 companies in the succession process will soon be exceeded. This is an unprecedented number of companies, most of which want to be handed over or taken over. There is a real pressure wave of succession with consequent pressure to act for the Swiss economy, because about 800,000 jobs are linked to these companies.

It is also noteworthy that of the 5,756 organizations founded in Switzerland in 1922 and registered in the HR, only 97 or 1.7% can be found today, 100 years later. Figures that once again make clear how demanding long-term entrepreneurship is. Integrated into the 2022 succession map is the "100 list" for Switzerland and the Canton of Zurich. This lists the companies, organizations and enterprises that have successfully mastered this challenge and thus also several succession arrangements.

Canton by canton

With the Succession Map 2022, the CHDU has launched the first edition of this publication, which will be published annually in the future. The map is divided in equal parts into a nationwide and a cantonal representation of the current succession development and demographics. The cantonal representation in particular serves as a supplementary service for the cantons, in order to make the companies located there aware of the relevance of successful business succession by means of meaningful figures and graphics, as well as pointing out cantonal contact points and support options.

From now on, every canton has the option of a succession map with its own cantonal succession demography. The canton of Zurich kicked off the Succession Map 2022 by highlighting the high importance of business succession. Government Councillor and Director of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Zurich Carmen Walker Späh commented: " (...) In order to remain competitive, our economy will continue to depend on an agile, innovative and sustainable SME landscape in the future. The timely preparation of company succession is an important part of this. Only in this way will it be possible for our traditional SMEs to hang on to their company history for as many more decades as possible."

The location promotion department in the Office of Economic Affairs and Labor (AWA) of the Canton of Zurich supports the development and expansion of the association as a partner organization. The digital follow-up map 2022 is available there on the website at this link: www.wirtschaftsraum-zuerich.ch/100-jahre-nachfolge-entwicklung-die-druckwelle-steigt

(Visited 293 times, 1 visits today)

More articles on the topic