NextFin news, On Monday, September 15, 2025, a study published by the Swiss trade union Unia highlighted the significant wage disparity between top executives and the lowest-paid employees in Switzerland. The report focused on the 39 largest Swiss companies and found that in 2024, the average pay ratio between CEOs and their lowest-paid workers was 143 to 1.
The study noted a slight narrowing of this gap compared to the previous year, when the ratio was 150 to 1. Despite this minor decrease, the wage differences remain substantial, particularly in certain companies.
Novartis, a major pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel, exhibited the most extreme disparity. Its CEO, Vasant Narasimhan, earned 19.2 million Swiss francs in 2024, which is 333 times the salary of the company's lowest-paid employees. Other companies with large pay gaps include Partners Group with a ratio of 328 to 1, Galderma at 298 to 1, and UBS with a ratio of 276 to 1 between CEO Sergio Ermotti and the lowest-paid staff.
Conversely, companies such as Coop and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) showed the smallest wage gaps, both with a ratio of 11 to 1.
The report also highlighted that shareholders benefited significantly from company profits, with the largest firms distributing a total of 46 billion Swiss francs in dividends and conducting share buybacks. Unia emphasized that sufficient funds exist to increase the lowest salaries, yet these wages have come under pressure, especially following a National Council decision during the summer session prioritizing collective employment contracts over cantonal minimum wages, even if the latter are higher.
The findings were reported by RTS and blue News, citing the Unia study released on Monday, September 15, 2025, in Switzerland.
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