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phd candidate salaries in Switzerland

• Doctoral students in Switzerland receive, as a guideline, between CHF 3,920 and CHF 6,690 gross per month, based on a 100% employment rate.
• The median salary (50% earn more and 50% earn less) is CHF 53,000 gross per year and CHF 4,417 per month.
• Depending on the institution and field of research and depending on how the PhD is funded (SNF-scholarship, assistanceship etc.), the loan can have a wide range. PhD candidates in exact sciences (computer science, mathematics, physics, ...) and medecine are usually better paid than PhD candidates in life sciences, chemistry, arts and humanities. However, the salary and the working conditions depend on the exact contract you have.
• Please consider, that PhD candidates often have only a 50% employment.

Salary comparison

In comparison to a doctoral candidates, a masters graduate who is employed outside the university, earns significantly more:

• The annual gross salary (median) for master graduates at university level (all economic sectors, all positions, all regions), 1 year after graduation in 2020 is: 78’400 CHF
• The annual gross salary (median) for master graduates from universities of applied sciences 1 year after graduation in 2020 is: 84’000 CHF

But a graduated PhD then starts with a higher salary:

• The annual gross salary (median) for PhDs 1 year after graduation in 2020 is: 93’100 CHF

Source: FOS / ETHZ / lohnanalyse.ch

• Usual working time in Switzerland: 42 hours per week.
• Holidays: Legally 4 weeks per year. Some companies give 5 weeks.
• For further information, see our sections PhD in Switzerland , postdoc in Switzerland and professor in Switzerland .
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HR Consulting is responsible for determining salaries.

The subpages are mainly oriented to doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. Further information on employment and salary for all other employees can be found here .

Doctoral students and scientific assistants I are paid a fixed-rate salary . At the first level of their career (first year), they receive a fixed starting salary. After one year, this salary is automatically increased in predefined stages for the second year and third year. No further salary increases are specified from the fourth year onwards.

A lump sum salary can also be arranged, depending on the requirements of the funding provider. The salary amount is also dependent on the funding provider. Lump sum salaries are paid out in 12 monthly instalments. These salaries have to be actively adjusted and they are increased as and when the project funding situation allows.

From 1 July 2020, it is required to top up the salaries of  new doctoral students with a scholarship to the lowest salary level (standard rate), which may not be lower than this. In addition, a salary development must be provided for.

Further information: 

• Ordinance on Scientific Staff
• Ordinance on Doctoral Studies
• Ordinance on Scientific Staf f

Postdoctoral researchers / scientific assistants II are paid a fixed-rate salary . At the first level of their career (first year), they receive a fixed starting salary. After one year, this salary is automatically increased in predefined stages for the second year and third year. No further salary increases are specified from the fourth year onwards

These are the salary rates for p ostdoctoral researchers / scientific assistants II (rates in CHF):

Family allowance

ETH Zurich employees who take care of children of minor age or children in education receive a family allowance in accordance with basic legal principles.

Information on other scientific or support functions

Master, PhD and Postdoc Scholarships

• Salary of PhD students in Switzerland

PhD students in Switzerland are hired by universities and research centers for the duration of their studies, like their counterparts in other western countries. In this post, we inform you about the salary of PhD students in Switzerland. In addition to the salary information, we will also cover essential information about tax and deductions of salary in Switzerland.

Increasing PhD Stipend 2023-2024 in UK

Like other Western countries, Universities and research centers in Switzerland hire PhD students for the duration of their studies. Note that it is common in many countries such as  Denmark , Germany , Sweden ,  Finland , Austria , Netherlands , Ireland ,  Norway , and the  UK . As it concerns this post, we should note that living expenses are among the highest in Switzerland. The nominal wealth per adult is the highest in the world, and the GDP of the country is among the top ten globally. Because of that, the salary of PhD students is also high in comparison to many other countries. 

Gross salary of PhD students in Switzerland

According to the ETHZ website , the salary rates for doctoral students are as follows (rates in CHF):

As can be seen in the table above, there are big differences between different rates. You might ask yourself how can I be qualified for rate 5 instead of the standard rate. In the following, we try to explain what are the requirements for each rate.

According to the Ordinance governing scientific employees of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich , the rate depends directly on the workload of the doctoral students besides his/her research. It reads:

If doctoral students provide services in excess of the normal minimum level of teaching in the Department, they are entitled to a higher rate of payment.

However, the student should spend at least 70% of his/her time on the dissertation and related research activities. Therefore, the maximum teaching load of PhD students is 30% of their time. That is why this rate is determined upon agreement between the employer and the employee (PhD student in this case). However, irrespective of the rate, the salary grows every year for the first three years of PhD job.

Duration of the contract:

The contract length of PhD students and Postdocs can be up to six years.

Family Allowance of Doctoral Students:

PhD students like other employees in Switzerland receive a family allowance for caring for children. The family allowance for ETHZ employees (e.g. PhD students) is as follows:

Note that the family allowance listed above is already included in the contribution from Zurich City.

Net salary (after tax) of PhD students in Switzerland

The net salary (take-home money) of PhD students is certainly less than the gross salary shown above. In this section, we will describe all deductions from your monthly salary as a PhD student. The following are the basic deductions from your gross salary: Old-age pension (AHV), Disability benefit (IV), Loss of income (EO), and Unemployment benefit (ALV 1). This all deduction makes in total 6.375% of your gross salary. Then you might also pay your contribution to the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) (around 0.38%). In addition to those mentioned above, you will also contribute to the Pension fund which is around 7% (varies according to age city of living, and Fund company). However, the major deduction is withheld tax which we will explain in detail in the next section.

Withholding tax of PhD students in Switzerland

For foreign students, the withholding tax is very similar to income tax. The rate of the tax depends on many factors such as marital status, number of children, and even your religion. The latter matters if you are Christian and wish to contribute to the church tax. According to the ETHZ website , the categories are listed in the following table:

Net salary Calculator of PhD students in Switzerland

The ETH Zurich makes an online calculator for salary and tax in Switzerland (you can find it here ). In this section, we provide you with some examples of salary and corresponding take-home money. To make the data suitable for a broader range of readers, we divide this section into various rates:

Net salary of PhD students in Switzerland at a Standard rate

Let us assume you are on the Standard rate of PhD studentship in Switzerland and you are single without any child. Then your net monthly salary is 3330.85 CHF (~3660 USD) per month. Note that this net salary corresponds to a deduction of 589 CHF (~650 USD) per month (i.e. your monthly gross salary is 3920 CHF). The details of the deduction are as follows:

Non-​occupational accident (23.50 CHF), AHV contributions (206.80 CHF), ALV contributions (43.10 CHF), Savings contribution pension fund (131.70 CHF), Risk premium pension fund (15.10 CHF, Risk insurance (0.00 CHF), Withholding tax (168.95 CHF). That means the Withholding tax for a standard rate of Doctoral students is less than 5% (or the mentioned condition above).

However, if the same PhD student is married with one child but the partner is not employed, the net monthly salary will be 3428 CHF (~3777 USD). Note that such a person qualifies for a family allowance and gets an additional 376 CHF (~414 USD).

In all the following calculations, we assume that if the student is married, the partner is not in employment and they live in Zurich. If any of these condition changes, the tax will change, too.

Net salary of PhD students in Switzerland at a rate of 2

Here, we can run a similar calculation and the results are summed in the table below:

Net salary of PhD students in Switzerland at a rate of 3

Let us run a similar calculation for the case of a PhD student in rate 3.

Net salary of PhD students in Switzerland at a rate of 4

Let us run a similar calculation for the case of a PhD student in rate 4.

Net salary of PhD students in Switzerland at a rate of 5

Let us run a similar calculation for the case of a PhD student in rate 5.

The calculations above are according to the pay scale of ETH in Zurich.

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Chemist Average Salary in Switzerland 2024

How much money does a person working as chemist make in switzerland.

A person working as Chemist in Switzerland typically earns around 260,000 CHF . Salaries range from 120,000 CHF (lowest) to 413,000 CHF (highest).

Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Chemist salaries in Switzerland vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.

Chemist Pay Scale and Salaries in Switzerland

Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

Median salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range, salary range, minimum wage, and starting salary.

Salaries for the position Chemist in Switzerland range from 120,000 CHF (starting salary) to 413,000 CHF (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

Median Salary

With a median salary of 249,000 CHF , half of the professionals who work as Chemist in Switzerland earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

Percentiles and Salary Scale

The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Chemist in Switzerland earn less than 200,000 CHF, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 286,000 CHF while 25% earn more.

Pay Scale Structure

To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Chemist in Switzerland compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 149,000 CHF to 216,000 CHF. About 20% of salaries are below the 149,000 CHF mark, while 10% fall within the range of 216,000 CHF to 247,000 CHF. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 247,000 CHF.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Chemist / Switzerland

How do experience and age affect pay.

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Chemist and this is what we found.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 136,000 CHF.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 181,000 CHF, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 268,000 CHF, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 327,000 CHF, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 356,000 CHF, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 386,000 CHF, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education / Chemist / Switzerland

How do education levels affect salaries, displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as chemist..

We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Chemist in order to make a comparison.

Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 155,000 CHF.

Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 243,000 CHF, 57% more than the previous level.

Level 3: PhD

At this level, the average salary becomes 408,000 CHF, 68% more than the previous level.

Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Switzerland costs anywhere from 51,800 CHF to 155,000 CHF and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment. You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained. Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment. If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.

Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Chemist / Switzerland

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Chemist in Switzerland, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 4%.

Salary Comparison By Gender in Switzerland for all Careers

43 Careers That Pay Women More Than Men!

Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Chemist / Switzerland

How much are annual salary increments in switzerland for individuals working as chemist how often do employees get salary raises.

Individuals working as Chemist in Switzerland are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 14% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.

Switzerland / All Professions

The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.

Bonus and Incentive Rates / Chemist / Switzerland

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded share this chart    tweet          get chart link http://www.salaryexplorer.com/charts/switzerland/science-and-technical-services/chemist/annual-salary-bonus-rate-switzerland-chemist.jpg 36% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 64% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus. those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 2% to 7% of their annual salary. received bonus 64% no bonus 36% types of bonuses considered.

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.

What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Chemist / Switzerland

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as chemist in switzerland is 130 chf.this is the rate they get paid for every worked hour., about the hourly pay rate.

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Chemist in Switzerland is 58 CHF. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Salary Comparison By City

Government vs private sector salary comparison.

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Switzerland is 4% on average across all career fields.

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title chemist in switzerland.

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 249,000 CHF and 286,000 CHF. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Chemist in Switzerland ranges from 120,000 CHF to 200,000 CHF. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.

What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary

©Salary Explorer 2024

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• 17 April 2024

Canadian science gets biggest boost to PhD and postdoc pay in 20 years

• Brian Owens

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Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau and finance minister Chrystia Freeland hold copies of the 2024 federal budget. Credit: David Kawai/Bloomberg via Getty

Researchers in Canada got most of what they were hoping for in the country’s 2024 federal budget, with a big boost in postgraduate pay and more funding for research and scientific infrastructure.

“We are investing over $5 billion in Canadian brainpower,” said finance minister Chrystia Freeland in her budget speech on 16 April. “More funding for research and scholarships will help Canada attract the next generation of game-changing thinkers.”

Canadian PhD students and postgrads plan mass walkout over low pay

Postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers have been advocating for higher pay for the past two years through a campaign called Support Our Science. They requested an increase in the value, and number, of federal government scholarships, and got more than they asked for. Stipends for master’s students will rise from Can$17,500 (US$12,700) to $27,000 per year, PhDs stipends that ranged from $20,000 to $35,000 will be set to a uniform annual $40,000 and most postdoctoral-fellowship salaries will increase from $45,000 to $70,000 per annum. The number of scholarships and fellowships provided will also rise over time, building to around 1,720 more per year after five years.

“We’re very thrilled with this significant new investment, the largest investment in graduate students and postdocs in over 21 years,” says Kaitlin Kharas, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, Canada, and executive director of Support Our Science . “It will directly support the next generation of researchers.”

Although only a small proportion of students and postdoctoral fellows receive these federal scholarships, other funders tend to use them as a guide for their own stipends.

Many postgraduates said that low pay was forcing them to consider leaving Canada to pursue their scientific career, says Kharas, so this funding should help to retain talent in the country.

“This is going to move us from a searing brain drain to a brain gain, and position us to compete on the world stage,” says Chad Gaffield, chief executive of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, based in Ontario, which supported the campaign.

‘Determined to thrive’

The budget also includes marked boosts for basic research. There is an extra $1.8 billion over five years in core funding for the three federal grant-awarding research councils, as well as $400 million for upgrades to the TRIUMF particle accelerator in Vancouver, and more cash for several other large facilities and institutes across the country. There will also be more than $2 billion for the artificial-intelligence sector in Canada.

“[This budget] really emphasizes that Canada is determined to thrive in the twenty-first century based on science and research,” says Gaffield.

Canada announces new innovation agency — and it’s not modelled on DARPA

Others have pointed out that the vast majority of the money in the budget for the research councils is backloaded, with just $228 million coming in the next two years. This means that the gains will be slow, and could be vulnerable to changes in the political climate, says Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates, a consultancy in Toronto. “Do not count on this money being there after an election,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). Canada’s next federal election is due in October 2025, and the opposition Conservative Party is campaigning on reigning in spending.

The budget also makes some changes to how science funding is organized. Instead of ten different programmes for scholarships and fellowships, with differing levels of support, there will now be a single programme with just three levels — master’s degrees, PhDs and postdoctoral fellowships. Kharas says that this should simplify the system.

The government will also create a new “capstone” research-funding organization to better coordinate the work of the three granting councils and “help to advance internationally collaborative, multi-disciplinary and mission-driven research”, the budget says. It will also create an advisory Council on Science and Innovation, comprised of leaders from academia, industry and the non-profit sector, which will develop a national science-and-innovation strategy to guide priority setting and increase the impact of federal investments. “This should help move us towards a more efficient, well-coordinated and nimble way of supporting research in Canada,” says Gaffield. “I look forward to working with the government to optimize it.”

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01124-2

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