Switzerland’s labour market is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by evolving employee expectations and intensifying competition for talent. The WTW Benefits Trends Survey 2025 reveals how Swiss employers are adjusting their benefits strategies to address these shifts while managing rising cost pressures.
This article summarises the key findings and outlines how organisations can design benefits strategies that are both cost-efficient and aligned with employee values.
01
The persistent talent shortage remains one of the most critical challenges for Swiss employers. The retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, coupled with a smaller pool of younger talent, is heightening competition across sectors.
In response, companies are adopting more strategic and intentional approaches to benefits design.
Many are:
As benefits gain strategic importance, employers increasingly view them not merely as a compliance obligation but as a key differentiator in attracting, retaining, and engaging talent.
02
Providing employees with greater choice and flexibility has emerged as one of the most effective ways to deliver value. The trend is clear: 71% of Swiss organisations plan to expand their range of benefit options over the next three years. Highly flexible models—where employees can adjust core benefits or allocate budgets to what matters most—are expected to grow from 11% today to nearly 50% by 2028.
Although a faster shift toward flexible benefits was anticipated, progress in Switzerland has been measured and pragmatic, reflecting the administrative complexity and cost considerations involved.
Rather than large-scale transformations, change is occurring incrementally through practical steps—for example, replacing Reka checks with mobility or sustainability apps, or allowing employees to purchase additional vacation days.
The direction is clear: Swiss employers are steadily moving toward more personalised and flexible benefit strategies that balance choice, cost, and simplicity.
03
Data and analytics are playing an increasingly vital role in shaping benefits strategies. 42% of Swiss employers plan to use advanced analytics over the next three years to enhance cost and risk management.
By leveraging data, organisations can anticipate evolving employee needs, monitor benefit utilisation, and allocate resources where they have the greatest impact.
This evidence-based approach not only strengthens decision-making but also supports smarter cost and risk management across benefit programmes.
04
Understanding employee expectations remains essential. One in three Swiss employers (33%) plan to increase the use of feedback mechanisms, such as regular surveys, to ensure benefit strategies remain relevant.
Simultaneously, 59% of employers intend to invest more in benefits communication, and 51% are exploring technology platforms—including benefit portals and automated tools—to simplify access and enhance the employee experience.
By actively listening to employees and communicating effectively, organisations can ensure their benefits investments are recognised, understood, and valued—leading to stronger engagement and greater perceived impact.
05
With 54% of Swiss companies planning to review and optimise their benefits budgets, the focus is shifting from offering more benefits to offering the right benefits. Employers are increasingly prioritising offerings that deliver the greatest value to employees while reinforcing organisational purpose and culture.
Many are reassessing their vendor landscape and exploring new financing models to improve value for money and manage risk more effectively. Others are strengthening existing provider relationships, leveraging value-added services, and using data to guide smarter investment decisions.
By aligning spending decisions with company values and workforce needs, organisations can optimise costs, enhance their employer brand, and create a more meaningful employee experience.
As Switzerland’s job market continues to evolve, employers must rethink how benefits support talent attraction, retention, and engagement.
By embracing personalisation, wellbeing, data analytics, and values-driven design, organisations can build benefits strategies that are sustainable, inclusive, and aligned with what today’s employees value most.
Ultimately, success will come not from offering more benefits, but from offering better ones—those that truly make a difference to people and to the business.
