Popular career fields: Computer science
Information about the IT profession in Switzerland: typical jobs, activities, salary and career opportunities.
The IT industry in Switzerland is booming - over 210,000 people are currently working in the IT field in Switzerland and demand is constantly growing. If you have a degree in IT or other training in this area, then you have excellent future prospects on the job market. Everything you need to know to start working in IT, for example which jobs and salary prospects there are and which skills you should have, can be found here.
Contents
These are the 20 most sought-after jobs for computer scientists in Switzerland
These are exciting employers for IT specialists in Switzerland
This is what you need to be able to do as a computer scientist
This is what you earn as a computer scientist in Switzerland
These are your career opportunities as an IT specialist in Switzerland
Self-employed in the field of IT: In these areas you can work as an IT freelancer in Switzerland
This is what you do as a computer scientist
As an IT specialist, you work in many different areas where information systems and technologies are planned, developed or used. Most of the time, you are involved in the development, programming or maintenance of software and hardware systems. Since the field has so many possible forms, you ideally specialize in an area during your bachelor's or master's degree that you also want to consider in your future career. As an IT specialist, you usually work in a team and, depending on your job, you also have the opportunity to come into contact with customers (e.g. as an IT consultant, IT project manager or in technical sales) or to train colleagues in your company.
The 20 most sought-after jobs for computer scientists in Switzerland
As an IT specialist, you have various options available to you on the job market. To help you find your way around your job search, we have compiled the most frequently advertised positions in Switzerland over the last 12 months in the following table.
Job title
Advertised jobs (CH)
Software developer
12'469
System Engineer
7'258
IT-Supporter
6'003
Java developer
4'156
IT Security Consultant
2'914
Application Manager
2'851
UI-Designer
2'662
System specialist
2'503
.NET Developer
2'343
System Administrator
2'236
DevOps Developer
2'087
Web developer
2'011
Network Engineer
2'002
Microsoft Specialist
1'906
Data Scientist
1'705
IT Solution Architect
1'671
IT Project Manager
1'570
Head of IT
1'316
IT System Architect
1'177
Embedded Software Engineer
1'136
Status of evaluation: July 2022
Found a suitable job title? Here you can find all jobs for students, graduates and young professionals in Switzerland in the field of computer science/IT.
Exciting employers for IT specialists in Switzerland
As an IT specialist, you will currently be welcomed with open arms by a large number of employers. But what are exciting employers in the IT sector? An overview of 30 exciting and popular companies in the IT sector is compiled in the following table.
Pursue
Headquarters
Luzern
Zürich
Glattbrugg
Biel
Konolfingen
Wallisellen
Zürich
Schlieren
Glattpark
Wittenbach
Lausanne
Lenzburg
Emmen
Wallisellen
Zürich
Worblaufen
Mägenwil
Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne
Zürich
Farnern
Zürich
Cham
Kriens
Zürich
Zug
Zürich
Zürich
Stans
If you want to discover more exciting Swiss companies in the IT sector, we recommend you take a closer look at the top 500 ranking of IT companies in Switzerland from Swiss IT Magazine.
Otherwise, you can find many other exciting companies in the IT sector with Scrambl's SkillMatcher!
This is what you need to be able to do as a computer scientist
Depending on the area in which you want to work as an IT specialist, you will be required to have certain skills. Once you have learned the most important basics during your studies or training, you will still have to learn a lot of specialist knowledge on the job in order to develop professionally. In addition to programming languages and certain tools, project management skills, such as agile project management or certain certifications, are particularly advantageous. To give you an overview, we have summarized some important skills for a selection of IT jobs that employers in Switzerland are currently frequently looking for.
Typical activities and knowledge for careers in IT
Top skills for software developers
Scrum
docker
DevOps
Implement software
Maintain software
Developing databases
Capture customer requirements
Accompany the software lifecycle
Document interface descriptions
Test software
Cybersecurity
Modeling data
REST APIs
Git
Conduct code reviews
Designing applications
Top skills for system engineers
-
Monitor networks
-
Maintain networks
-
Maintain IT infrastructures
-
Developing IT infrastructures
-
ActiveDirectory
-
SQL Server
-
Microsoft Exchange
-
Apache Tomcat
-
docker
-
Ansible
-
Harmonize IT solutions
-
IT Project Management
-
Citrix
Top skills for IT supporters
-
Maintain workstation systems
-
Install server
-
Installing network components
-
Implement configuration specifications
-
Accept hardware problems
-
Accept software problems
-
Localize faults
-
First-level, second-level, third-level support
-
Roll out IT devices
-
Office 365
-
Patch management
Top skills for UI designers
Optimize website layouts
Implement graphic elements
Designing user interfaces
Create wireframes
Create mockups
Create prototypes
Develop design guidelines
Conduct usability tests
Optimize websites
Designing mobile features
Get user feedback
Follow industry trends
Create design ideas
Create user flows
Adobe InDesign
Figma
sketch
InVision
CSS
Top skills for .Net developers
.NET
.NET Core
ASP.NET
C#
Develop data import interfaces
DevOps
docker
Splunk
Client/Server implementations
Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE
Xamarin
Entity Framework Core
Top skills for DevOps developers
DevOps
Maintain server environments
Maintain development environments
Improve system performance
Implementing business requirements
install a software
Developing application interfaces
Setting up test environments
Setting up development environments
Release automation
Continuous Delivery / Continuous Integration
Ensuring software quality
Top skills for network engineers
Planning network architectures
Implementing network architectures
Maintain network services
Create acceptance reports
Configuration Management
Create network documentation
Create standard operating procedures
IP Standards
IEEE802.1X
Network protocols
TCP/IP
Cisco
Administer network security
Administering firewall solutions
Juniper
Planning IT security solutions
Top skills for data scientists
Developing BI solutions
Developing database solutions
Power BI
SQL
Maintain databases
Create reports
Create data models
Creating data science pipelines
python
Java
R
BigData
Matlab
Clean up data
Designing dashboards
Data integration
Evaluate data sources
Top skills for IT project managers
Leading IT projects
Carry out project controlling
Conduct project reporting
Develop IT concepts
Create project documentation
IT project management
Agile project management methods
Analyze business processes
Calculate IT project costs
Conduct workshops
Present projects
Scrum
ITIL
Kanban
Safe
Hermes
BPMN
Top skills for IT system architect
Capture IT requirements
Developing IT architectures
Create technical documentation
Develop IT architecture concepts
Designing IT landscapes
Define system specifications
Evaluate software
Evaluate hardware
Monitor IT systems
Linux
Cloud technologies
DevOps
Developing migration concepts
Top skills for Java developers
-
Spring Framework
-
Jenkins
-
Maven
-
Git
-
DevOps
-
Docker
-
Microservices
-
Kafka
-
Linux
-
Software implementieren
-
IntelliJ
Top skills for IT security consultants
IT security
Establish IT security management
Develop security concepts
Check network security
Defining IT security standards
Lead technical projects
Web/email security
Container security
Conduct internal audits
Risk management
Create threat models
data protection
GDPR
Top skills for application developers
Designing applications
Develop applications further
Optimize applications
Roll out updates
Train customers
Maintain documentation
Perform parameterizations
Incident management
Web services
Monitor system performance
Analyze requirements
Top skills for system specialists
Specify system architectures
Create technical documentation
Define IT infrastructure requirements
Define service level agreements
Configure IT infrastructure
Maintain IT systems
Operating IT systems
Administer IT systems
Configure networks
Windows Server
Manage user accounts
SQL databases
Setting up a web server
Top-Skills für Systemadministratoren
Ensure network availability
Manage servers
Set up WiFi
Maintain email system
Update firewalls
Implement security policies
Perform system backups
Restore IT systems
Hosting
Hyper-V
SQL
Planning IT landscapes
VMware
Migrating systems
Top skills for web developers
HTML
PHP
mySQL
CSS
JavaScript
Angular
React.JS
Node.JS
Git
Responsive Design
Bootstrap
Vue.JS
React
REST APIs
Top skills for Microsoft specialists
Designing Windows systems
Administering Windows systems
Create service documentation
Windows Server
Patch Management
Windows security concepts
Perform system maintenance
Azure
Microsoft Exchange
Citrix
Software packaging
Office 365
Microsoft Teams
Sharepoint
ITIL
Top skills for IT solution architects
Capture business requirements
Derive process requirements
Developing IT architectures
Develop quality standards
Planning IT audits
ServiceDesign
Business Engineering
Ensuring information security
Data Management
Software development
DevOps
PowerShell
Building test platforms
Top skills for IT managers
Implementing IT projects
Conduct profitability analyses
Plan milestones
Leading teams
Formulating work packages
Evaluate IT suppliers
Developing IT strategies
Organize IT department
Organize IT support
Responsible for IT system documentation
IT purchasing
Responsible for IT operations
Top skills for embedded software engineers
Embedded Software Engineering
Programming hardware
Programming applications
C
C#
C++
Hardware design
IP protocols
Hardware components
Interfaces
GNU Toolchain
FPGATools
Develop firmware
Integrate fieldbus interfaces
Microcontroller
The skills listed were extracted from job advertisements in Switzerland in 2021 and 2022 and represent their most common requirements. If you have any questions about data collection, please contact the Scrambl team!
Do you have some of these skills? Here you can discover which jobs your skills are best suited to.
These are the soft skills you should have in the field of computer science
Although as a computer scientist you will of course have to deal with a lot of technical issues, soft skills are also very important. Your ability to work in a team and interact with customers is in demand. Some important soft skills that companies in the IT sector often ask for are the following:
Great attention to detail
Analytical acumen
accuracy
Conceptual skills
Organizational skills
customer focus
Willingness to learn
Communication skills
Forward thinking
What you earn as a computer scientist in Switzerland
IT professions are usually very well paid due to the high demand on the job market and the high level of training required. We have compiled the starting salary you can expect for some of the most sought-after IT professions in the following table.
Job title
Starting salary
Average salary
Software developer
CHF 88’000
CHF 100’000
Systemingenieur
CHF 85’000
CHF 95’000
IT-Supporter
CHF 68’000
CHF 75’000
Java developer
CHF 91’000
CHF 100’000
IT-Security-Consultant
CHF 102’000
CHF 115’000
Application Manager
CHF 100’000
CHF 108’000
UI-Designer
CHF 75’000
CHF 90’000
System specialist
CHF 68’000
CHF 74’000
.NET Entwickler
CHF 81’000
CHF 98’000
System Administrator
CHF 80’000
CHF 86’000
DevOps Developer
CHF 99’000
CHF 107’000
Web developer
CHF 80’000
CHF 86’000
Network Engineer
CHF 94’000
CHF 107’000
Microsoft Specialist
CHF 93’000
CHF 100’000
Data Scientist
CHF 88’000
CHF 103’000
IT Solution Architect
CHF 120’000
CHF 140’000
IT Project Manager
CHF 100’000
CHF 112’000
Head of IT
CHF 128’000
CHF 131’000
IT System Architect
CHF 130’000
CHF 140’000
Embedded Software Engineer
CHF 81’000
CHF 97’000
In general, IT architects generally earn very good money - but for this job you also need a lot of experience and know-how as well as leadership qualities and organizational understanding. Typical entry-level positions as a software or web developer or in the UI/UX and support areas usually start with a starting salary below the CHF 90,000 limit. You can find more detailed information on salary prospects, industry differences and regional salary differences in the IT field here .
These are your career opportunities as an IT specialist in Switzerland
If you are currently studying computer science or are already working in the IT sector as a young professional, your career prospects are generally very good: the demand for IT staff is still high and there is currently no reason to believe that this trend will be reversed any time soon. The high demand means that you can quickly make a career in IT if you are prepared to take on project and management responsibility in the IT sector. It is also important for your advancement up the career ladder that you stay up to date with technological changes and innovations. IT in particular is affected by constant change and technological innovations. So if you keep yourself up to date with the latest technology and show a willingness to take on management responsibility in IT projects or IT operations, you have the best chance of soon getting started as an IT manager or director.
First of all, however, it is important that you gain experience in IT and look into different areas to find out what suits you best. Many Swiss companies offer internships and working student positions in IT. If you would like to gain experience in the field of IT, you can find currently advertised internships and working student jobs in the field of IT in Switzerland here.
Self-employed in the field of IT: In these areas you can work as an IT freelancer in Switzerland
Especially in the IT sector, many people decide to work as self-employed people on their own account. You can find IT freelancers in almost all areas of IT and in all company sizes. The following jobs are particularly popular with IT freelancers:
-
Web development (front-end, back-end, full-stack developers)
-
Web design (graphics, UX, UI designer)
-
Software development
-
IT project management
-
Agile Coaching
-
Interim IT Manager.
If you want to work as an IT freelancer, you usually need less start-up capital than with other forms of business start-up, as you usually already have your work equipment with a good laptop or are often provided with a laptop and other work equipment by your client. Before you start working as a freelancer in IT, you should analyze the market, use existing contacts, calculate your daily or hourly rate taking all costs into account and think about how to handle your payroll administration.
