Practical Information

Parental Leave

Under Swiss federal law, a woman is not obliged to inform her employer that she is pregnant, and her job is protected until her return from maternity leave.

Working women are eligible for 14 weeks paid maternity leave, during which they receive 80 percent of their salary. The Swiss labour laws forbid women to work in the first eight weeks following birth, and from the ninth through the 16th week, women can return to work, but only if they choose to do so.

There is no guaranteed paternity leave for Swiss fathers. The average Swiss company grants fathers only one to three days’ paid leave after the birth of their child.