Posting on jobs.ch
Posting on jobs.ch means listing your vacancy on Switzerland's largest job board, reaching roughly 2 million monthly users across all cantons. You must disclose the Pensum percentage, location, and salary range (if you mention salary at all); omitting these draws complaints. The single most common mistake is posting without a salary range when your sector or canton norm expects transparency—candidates skip vague postings.
jobs.ch is the dominant Swiss job board, owned by TX Group. It reaches job seekers across German, French, and Italian-speaking regions and handles roughly 90,000 active listings at any time.
As an employer posting there, you follow jobs.ch's own house rules (which evolve) and Swiss employment law principles around transparency and non-discrimination. Canton-level norms and GAV collective agreements sometimes set salary expectations for your sector.
What you must disclose
Swiss job boards expect four core elements: job title, Pensum percentage (e.g. 80%), location (town and canton), and employer name. If you mention salary at all, you must give a range, not a single figure. Vague ranges (e.g. 'competitive') do not meet jobs.ch standards.
If your sector or canton has a known salary floor—construction, healthcare, or banking, for instance—omitting a range signals either ignorance or evasion. Candidates notice and apply less. Some cantons (Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Geneva) have stronger pay-transparency norms in practice, though no blanket Swiss law yet mandates salary disclosure.
- Pensum percentage must be explicit (50%, 100%, etc.); 'flexible' alone is insufficient
- Location should name the town and canton, not just 'Switzerland'
- Salary range should be realistic for your region and role (e.g. CHF 85,000–110,000)
- Employer name must appear; anonymous postings draw fewer applications
- Start date and contract type (permanent, fixed-term) reduce candidate confusion
- Avoid language or imagery that implies age, gender, or origin preference
When posting obligations arise
You trigger posting obligations the moment you list a vacancy—either actively recruiting or considering candidates. You are not legally required to post on jobs.ch specifically, but if you do, you must follow their terms and Swiss employment-law principles (ArG, revDSG on data handling).
If you mention salary, you accept that jobs.ch and other boards will index your posting and candidates will compare it to similar roles. Omitting a range after competitors post theirs makes your posting less visible in candidate searches.
- Posting is voluntary—there is no Swiss law saying you must use jobs.ch
- Once posted, your listing is public and searchable; assume candidates will screenshot and share
- Data you collect from applicants (CV, cover letter, contact details) is personal data under revDSG; handle it securely
- If you mention salary, budget for the fact that candidates will expect that range or higher
- Job postings remain live until you remove them; stale postings harm your employer brand
- Posting timeframe varies: high-skill roles may take 4–8 weeks; entry-level roles faster
The most common mistake
The single most common mistake is posting without a salary range when your sector, company size, or canton norm expects one. Candidates skip vague postings, assuming the employer either doesn't know the market rate or is hiding low pay. Even a defensive range (e.g. CHF 75,000–95,000) performs better than silence.
A close second is posting a high Pensum or 24/7 availability without mentioning it upfront. Candidates read the job title and location first; if you bury 'night shifts required' in paragraph three, you waste time on unsuitable applicants. Lead with hard constraints.
- Silent salary = candidate distrust; post a range or a clear reason ('salary commensurate with experience') and accept fewer applications
- Vague Pensum ('flexible, but preferably full-time') creates confusion; state 100%, 80%, or a range
- Generic job description copied from a template wastes your time and theirs; customize for your role
- Forgetting to mention benefits (13. Monatslohn, Bonus, flexible hours, remote days) means candidates assume none
- Long application forms discourage qualified candidates; ask only name, email, CV, and cover letter
- Not responding to applications within 5 business days signals disorganization and damages your reputation on jobs.ch and beyond
Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to post on jobs.ch or can I recruit only on my website?
- Posting on jobs.ch is optional—Swiss law does not mandate it. You can recruit via your own website, LinkedIn, or word-of-mouth. However, jobs.ch reaches the broadest candidate pool in Switzerland, so most SMEs use it. Smaller boards like local canton job sites or niche platforms (e.g. IT-Jobs.ch) complement it well.
- What salary range should I post if I don't know the market rate for my role?
- Research comparable roles on jobs.ch, LinkedIn, and your industry's salary surveys (e.g. SalaryExplorer, PayScale). Check your canton's norms and any GAV collective agreement in your sector. If in doubt, ask a peer employer or a recruitment consultant. Posting a realistic range—even if wide—beats silence. If truly uncertain, write 'salary commensurate with experience and qualifications' and plan to discuss in interviews.
- Can I post the same job on jobs.ch and other job boards at the same time?
- Yes. Posting on multiple boards (jobs.ch, LinkedIn, Indeed, niche sites) is standard practice and legal. Most SMEs use jobs.ch as the primary board and supplement with 1–2 others. Just remember: once you fill the role, remove it from all boards promptly. Stale postings frustrate candidates and harm your brand.
General information for Swiss employers, not legal advice. Have a lawyer confirm anything with legal consequences.