Turnover and employment in Swiss market sector activities fell in 3rd quarter 2025
Neuchâtel, 09.12.2025 — Market sector activities across the Swiss economy posted negative results in the 3rd quarter 2025. Turnover fell by 1.4% compared with the same quarter of the previous year and employment in these same market sectors fell by 0.2% (total employment +0.1%). These are provisional findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
In the secondary sector (industry and construction), turnover fell by 4.8% and employment by 0.7%. Tertiary sector (services) activities recorded an increase in turnover of 1.0%, while employment remained stable compared with the previous year.
Secondary sector
In the third quarter 2025, the secondary sector recorded weaker results than a year earlier. Industry recorded a fall in turnover of 5.7% and employment also fell (–1.0%). Turnover in the construction industry fell by 1.3%, while employment remained at the previous year's level.
Tertiary sector
Turnover growth was observed in the tertiary sector in the 3rd quarter 2025. The highest increase in turnover was recorded in real estate activities (+9.5%). However, a negative trend was observed in terms of employment (–3.1%). Retail turnover increased by 0.2%, and employment remained unchanged in the same period.
Focus: chemical industry under pressure
The chemical industry (excluding pharmaceuticals) recorded markedly weaker results than the secondary sector as a whole. While turnover in the secondary sector fell by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter of 2025 compared with the previous quarter (seasonally adjusted), the chemical industry (economic sections 19–20) recorded a slump of 13.6%. A year-on-year comparison (calendar adjusted) also revealed an above-average 7.0% fall in turnover, much more than in the secondary sector (–4.8%). The change in employment in full-time equivalents (FTEs) this year also reflects this negative trend, (–2.0% to –1.0% FTEs across the secondary sector). A longer-term, ten-year comparison highlights the structural transformation. While turnover in the secondary sector as a whole has risen by 30.0% since the 3rd quarter 2015, the chemical industry has grown only by 8.3%. There has been a similarly striking trend in employment over the past decade. Chemical industry employment in FTEs has fallen by 17.8%, contrasting with an increase of 2.5% across the sector as a whole.
The chemical industry accounts for 6.5% of turnover in the secondary sector (base year 2021) and around 2.5% of employment.
This press release and further information on the topic can be found on the FSO website.