What are standard full-time weekly working hours in Switzerland?

Most Swiss office, IT, engineering and banking contracts specify 40 to 42.5 hours per week at 100% workload (Pensum). The federal average across full-time employees is approximately 41.7 hours per week.

How do I convert a 12-month salary offer to a 13-month salary offer?

Compare the annual gross total. CHF 8,000 × 13 months equals CHF 104,000 per year, which is equivalent to CHF 8,666.67 × 12 months.

Does working 80% reduce my BVG pension disproportionately?

Under the standard BVG coordination deduction (CHF 26,460), part-time salaries have a smaller share insured unless your employer's pension fund scales the coordination deduction to your workload percentage (Pensum).

Workload & Pensum salary converter

Convert Swiss salaries between part-time and full-time workloads (Pensum 20%–100%), 12 vs. 13 monthly payments, and hourly rates.

Gross salary (CHF)Per

At workload (%)Convert to (%)

Payments per yearFull-time hours / week

Monthly at 80%

CHF 5'600.00

	100%	80%	100%
annual	CHF 91'000.00	CHF 72'800.00	CHF 91'000.00
monthly	CHF 7'000.00	CHF 5'600.00	CHF 7'000.00
hourly	CHF 41.67	CHF 41.67	CHF 41.67

Direct answer

In Switzerland, job workloads (Pensum) are expressed as a percentage of a full-time week (typically 40 to 42.5 hours). An 80% workload (4 days/week) pays 0.8 × the 100% full-time salary, and annual salary equals either 12 or 13 monthly instalments.

Key statutory figures & facts

•80% Pensum = 4 days/week (33.6 hours/week on a 42-hour full-time contract)
•Hourly base = Annual gross salary ÷ (Weekly hours × Workload % × 52 weeks)
•13 payments vs. 12 payments changes monthly cashflow by 8.33% for the same annual pay
•Statutory weekly cap (SECO ArG Art. 9): 45 hours (office/technical/retail) or 50 hours (other sectors)

How it's calculated

The given amount is turned into an annual salary (monthly × 12 or 13, or hourly × yearly hours).
It is scaled to 100% FTE and then to the target workload percentage.
Hourly rate = annual ÷ (weekly hours × workload × 52).

Assumptions

Gross amounts; no social contributions or tax deducted.
52 weeks per year; holidays are paid.

Frequently asked questions

What are standard full-time weekly working hours in Switzerland?: Most Swiss office, IT, engineering and banking contracts specify 40 to 42.5 hours per week at 100% workload (Pensum). The federal average across full-time employees is approximately 41.7 hours per week.
How do I convert a 12-month salary offer to a 13-month salary offer?: Compare the annual gross total. CHF 8,000 × 13 months equals CHF 104,000 per year, which is equivalent to CHF 8,666.67 × 12 months.
Does working 80% reduce my BVG pension disproportionately?: Under the standard BVG coordination deduction (CHF 26,460), part-time salaries have a smaller share insured unless your employer's pension fund scales the coordination deduction to your workload percentage (Pensum).