Schwyz
Economy, taxes and industries
Economic snapshot
- GDP
- CHF 11.6 bn
- 1.5% of Swiss GDP · 2022p
- GDP per capita
- CHF 70,739
- Rank 20 of 26 · 2022p
- Enterprises
- 15,792
- 99.8% SMEs · 2024
- Jobs
- 92,873
- +0.8% vs. 2023 · 2024
- Unemployment
- 1.1%
- Aug. 2026 · Aug. 2025: 1.1%
- Median gross wage
- CHF 7,092
- CHF per month · Central Switzerland, 2024
Overview
Schwyz combines a mid-sized population of 170,072 with one of the fastest-growing labour markets in Switzerland. Employment rose by 9.2% between 2019 and 2024 to 92,873 jobs, the third-strongest increase of the 26 cantons, and unemployment stood at 1.1% in August 2026, also third-lowest. GDP reached CHF 11.6 billion in 2022, with real growth of 4.3% against 3.0% nationally; GDP per head was CHF 70,739.
The economy is spread across services and trades rather than concentrated in one industry. Wholesale and retail trade is the largest sector (12.2% of jobs), followed by health and social care (12.0%) and construction (9.6%, 1.5 times the Swiss share). Staffing, facility and business-support services employ 7,588 people after growth of 39.1% in five years. International groups have their head offices on the lake shore: Kuehne+Nagel in Feusisberg and Oerlikon in Pfäffikon. Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife, is based in the town of Schwyz.
The canton's tax profile is its main draw for individuals. KPMG ranks its top income tax rate of 23.30% as the second-lowest in Switzerland after Zug; the maximum effective corporate tax rate is 13.30% (2025: 13.45%). In ValIndex's ownership study, 61.0% of Schwyz GmbHs belong to a single person, the third-highest share of any canton.
Location advantages
- Second-lowest top income tax rate in Switzerland (23.30%), after Zug
- Third-fastest job growth of the 26 cantons between 2019 and 2024 (+9.2%)
- Unemployment of 1.1% in August 2026, the third-lowest rate in the country
- Head offices of Kuehne+Nagel (Feusisberg) and Oerlikon (Pfäffikon) on Lake Zurich
- Arth-Goldau rail hub on the Gotthard axis, with the A3 and A4 motorways crossing the canton
Taxes 2026
- Max. effective corporate tax rate
- 13.30%
- 2025: 13.45%
- Corporate tax rank
- 10/26
- 1 = lowest rate
- Top income tax rate
- 23.30%
- Rank 2 of 26 (1 = lowest)
KPMG's Clarity on Swiss Taxes 2026 puts the maximum effective corporate income tax rate in Schwyz (federal, cantonal and communal taxes combined) at 13.30% (2025: 13.45%): rank 10 of 26, counting from the lowest rate (Swiss average: 14.43%). The maximum income tax rate for a single person, including federal tax, is 23.30%: rank 2 of 26, counting from the lowest rate (average: 33.04%).
Industry structure
| Sector | Jobs | Share | vs. CH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale, retail & motor trade | 11,304 | 12.2% | 1.1× |
| Health & social care | 11,144 | 12.0% | 0.8× |
| Construction & building trades | 8,940 | 9.6% | 1.5× |
| Legal, consulting, engineering & R&D | 8,438 | 9.1% | 1.0× |
| Staffing, facility & business support | 7,588 | 8.2% | 1.2× |
| Education | 4,796 | 5.2% | 0.7× |
| Banking, insurance & financial services | 4,584 | 4.9% | 1.1× |
| Hotels & restaurants | 4,539 | 4.9% | 1.0× |
| Arts, recreation & personal services | 4,307 | 4.6% | 0.8× |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 4,145 | 4.5% | 1.6× |
| Plastics, metals & metal products | 3,799 | 4.1% | 1.7× |
| Transport, logistics & postal services | 2,844 | 3.1% | 0.7× |
| Machinery, electrical & vehicle engineering | 2,788 | 3.0% | 1.2× |
| Public administration | 2,544 | 2.7% | 0.7× |
| Information, communication & IT | 2,506 | 2.7% | 0.7× |
| Textiles, wood, paper & printing | 1,705 | 1.8% | 1.4× |
| Food, beverages & tobacco | 1,659 | 1.8% | 1.1× |
| Real estate | 1,654 | 1.8% | 1.3× |
| Energy, water, waste & mining | 1,103 | 1.2% | 1.1× |
| Chemicals & pharmaceuticals | 1,007 | 1.1% | 0.8× |
| Electronics, instruments & watches | 797 | 0.9% | 0.4× |
| Medical devices, furniture & other manufacturing | 626 | 0.7% | 1.0× |
BFS STATENT 2024; jobs are counted at the workplace. “vs. CH” divides the sector’s share of jobs in the canton by its share in Switzerland (1.0× = national average).
Key employers
Kühne + Nagel International AG
Logistics
Feusisberg
OC Oerlikon Corporation AG, Pfäffikon
Surface solutions & polymer processing
Freienbach (Pfäffikon)
Victorinox AG
Consumer goods
Schwyz
Schwyzer Kantonalbank
Cantonal bank
Schwyz
Stiftung Spital Schwyz
Hospitals & healthcare
Schwyz
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Data vintages
- Population
- BFS STATPOP, end of 2025
- GDP
- BFS cantonal GDP, 2022 (provisional)
- Enterprises, jobs, sectors
- BFS STATENT 2024
- Unemployment
- SECO, August 2026
- Wages
- BFS Swiss Earnings Structure Survey 2024, major regions
- Taxes
- KPMG Clarity on Swiss Taxes 2026
- Succession & ownership
- ValIndex studies, June and July 2026