1.0Market Snapshot
- 220.5M hours
- Hours worked by temporary staff and reported to SECO in 2024: 220,456,871, down 1.4% from 2023 (223.6 million) and 5.1% from 2022 (232.3 million). No official statistic measures the sector's revenue in francs; hours are the official measure of volume.
- 7,308
- Businesses licensed by SECO and the cantons for private placement or staff leasing at the end of 2024: 2,807 placement-only agencies, 155 artist and model agencies, 2,131 leasing-only agencies and 2,215 mixed agencies. 4,346 of them may lease staff. BFS STATENT counts 2,187 enterprises whose main activity is placement or staff leasing (NOGA 78).
- 420,973
- People leased as temporary staff in 2024 (SECO), down 4.7% from 441,699 in 2023; 69.3% were foreign nationals. On average each worked 524 hours in the year. STATENT counted 127,145 people employed by temporary agencies at its 2024 reference date (NOGA 78.20).
- +1.5%
- Change in temporary hours in the first half of 2026 against H1 2025 (swissstaffing Swiss Staffingindex, 29 July 2026) — the first positive half-year after three years of decline (−5.8% in 2023, −4.7% in 2024, −7.1% in 2025). Permanent placement revenue fell a further 19.4%.
According to Val Index analysis of Swiss commercial-register and federal data (2026), the Swiss staffing & recruitment market is worth 220.5M hours — Hours worked by temporary staff and reported to SECO in 2024: 220,456,871, down 1.4% from 2023 (223.6 million) and 5.1% from 2022 (232.3 million). No official statistic measures the sector's revenue in francs; hours are the official measure of volume..
According to Val Index analysis of Swiss commercial-register and federal data (2026), Switzerland counts 7,308 staffing & recruitment companies — Businesses licensed by SECO and the cantons for private placement or staff leasing at the end of 2024: 2,807 placement-only agencies, 155 artist and model agencies, 2,131 leasing-only agencies and 2,215 mixed agencies. 4,346 of them may lease staff. BFS STATENT counts 2,187 enterprises whose main activity is placement or staff leasing (NOGA 78)..
2.0Industry Overview
In 2024, 420,973 people worked in Switzerland as temporary staff leased by an agency, according to SECO, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, which licenses the sector under the Federal Act on Employment Services (AVG). Together they worked 220.5 million hours — 524 hours per person on average, so most temporary assignments are short. 69.3% of temporary workers were foreign nationals, which makes the sector an important entry point into the Swiss labour market. Private agencies also made 87,140 permanent placements, 82.3% of all placements reported to SECO.
3.0Industry Health Check (SWOT)
- A large, licensed market: 420,973 temporary workers and 220.5 million hours in 2024 (SECO)
- Thin margins — Adecco Group reported a 3.0% EBITA margin excluding one-offs for 2025→ §5.0
- Consolidation of small agencies whose founders are retiring — Flexsis took over the 30-year-old Tempro Personal in June 2026
- A further downturn in exporting industries, as seen with US tariffs in 2025
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Staffing & Recruitment business valuation in Switzerland
- Statutory Multiple (EBITDA)
- 4.0 - 6.0×
- Deal Multiple (EBITDA)
- 5.5 - 8.0×
- Market Trend
- Stable
Indicative ranges based on market research. Actual multiples vary by company size, growth, and market conditions.
8.0Regional Clusters
Zurich
580 staffing enterprises (STATENT 2024), 25.3% of all temporary hours (55.8 million) and 111,316 temporary workers (SECO). The figure includes 13.3 million hours of a single firm leasing foreign staff abroad. Home to Adecco Group, Randstad, Hays and Coople.
Lake Geneva
49.9 million hours (22.6%) and 92,743 temporary workers in 2024. Adecco's Swiss operating company (Lausanne), Manpower (Morges) and Interiman Group (Renens) are registered here. 83.6% of Geneva's temporary workers are foreign nationals.
Northwestern Switzerland
29.0 million hours (13.2%) and 51,542 temporary workers: Aargau 11.8 million hours, Basel-Stadt 12.6 million, Basel-Landschaft 4.7 million. Pharma, chemicals and logistics drive demand.
Bern and Mittelland
23.4 million hours (10.6%) and 46,577 temporary workers, led by Bern with 13.2 million hours. Tempro Personal, taken over by Flexsis in 2026, was founded in Steffisburg (BE).
Central Switzerland
23.0 million hours (10.4%) and 38,910 temporary workers. Zug alone registers 208 staffing enterprises — more than Bern or Vaud — reflecting company seats rather than local demand.
Eastern Switzerland and Ticino
Eastern Switzerland accounts for 15.6 million hours and 32,193 temporary workers; Ticino for 7.4 million hours and 15,104 temporary workers, 89.3% of them foreign nationals — the highest share in the country.
Sources
9.0Frequently Asked Questions
▶How much is a staffing or recruitment agency worth in Switzerland?
ValIndex's multiples table puts Swiss staffing companies at 5.5–8.0× EBITDA in transactions and 4.0–6.0× EBITDA on statutory valuations. Margins are thin — Adecco Group reported a 3.0% EBITA margin excluding one-offs for 2025 — so small differences in earnings quality move value a lot. Specialised recruiters (health care, IT, engineering) with higher gross margins sit at the top of the range; generalist temporary agencies dependent on a few industrial clients at the bottom.
▶What factors determine the value of a staffing agency?
Buyers look at: (1) client concentration and the share of framework agreements; (2) specialisation, since health care, construction and technical trades remain in demand; (3) the pool of available workers and recruiters' relationships; (4) compliance with the AVG licence, the collective agreement for staff leasing and social insurance rules; (5) how earnings held up during the 2023–2025 downturn. Dependence on the founder's client relationships is the most common discount.
▶How many staffing agencies are there in Switzerland?
SECO counted 7,308 businesses licensed for placement or staff leasing at the end of 2024: 2,807 placement-only agencies, 155 artist and model agencies, 2,131 leasing-only agencies and 2,215 mixed agencies. BFS STATENT counts 2,187 enterprises whose main activity is staffing (NOGA 78), with 132,878 employees including the temporary staff on their payroll. In 2024 agencies leased 420,973 people as temporary staff.
▶How does succession work for Swiss staffing agencies?
Most staffing agencies are small and founder-run: STATENT shows a thousand placement-only enterprises averaging three full-time positions. Many were founded in the 1990s and 2000s and now face succession. The usual exit is a sale to a national network — Flexsis, part of Interiman Group, took over Tempro Personal, founded in 1995, from its founders in June 2026. Buyers pay for client relationships, specialisation and the local team.
▶What are the key trends in Swiss staffing and recruitment?
Five trends: (1) temporary hours fell three years in a row (−5.8% in 2023, −4.7% in 2024, −7.1% in 2025) before rising 1.5% in H1 2026; (2) permanent placement revenue keeps falling (−19.4% in H1 2026); (3) national networks buy regional agencies, as Flexsis did with Tempro Personal; (4) 79% of temporary staffing firms use AI in at least one process; (5) foreign nationals make up 69.3% of temporary workers (SECO).
▶What are the main risks when buying a staffing agency?
The main risks are: (1) cyclical demand — exporting industries cut temporary staff first; (2) client concentration; (3) the continuing decline of permanent placement; (4) regulatory and political risk around staff leasing and the free movement of persons; (5) thin margins that leave little room for error. Due diligence should check client and sector mix, licences, compliance with the collective agreement and the stability of earnings through 2023–2025.
▶What is the typical cost structure of a Swiss staffing agency?
Wages and social charges of temporary staff take roughly 80% of revenue, internal staff (recruiters, consultants, management) around 11%, compliance, insurance and administration 3%, technology 2% and marketing 1%, leaving an EBITDA margin of about 3%. These shares are indicative, aligned with Adecco Group's published 2025 gross margin of 19.2% and EBITA margin of 3.0%. Specialised recruiters work with higher gross margins.
▶Where are the main staffing clusters in Switzerland?
Zurich is the largest cluster with 580 staffing enterprises and 25.3% of all temporary hours in 2024 (55.8 million). The Lake Geneva region follows with 49.9 million hours — Adecco's Swiss operating company, Manpower and Interiman Group are registered there. Northwestern Switzerland has 29.0 million hours, Bern and the Mittelland 23.4 million and Central Switzerland 23.0 million; Zug registers 208 staffing enterprises (SECO, BFS STATENT).