Equal Pay Day Switzerland 2026: Closing the Gender Pay Gap 

Last year, Equal Pay Day in Switzerland fell on February 15. This year, it’s February 13. While the two-day shift is a small change, it still reflects only gradual progress. It means women had to work until February 13 "for free", compared to February 15 last year, highlighting that there is still a long way to go.

As compensation and benefits professionals, we know that pay transparency isn’t just a legal obligation or a feel-good initiative — it’s a strategic imperative. Organisations that close their pay gaps attract better talent, strengthen engagement, and reinforce trust with stakeholders. And pay transparency is more than that strategic imperative: it’s actually happening!

Mercer’s 2025 Global Pay Transparency Survey reveals that organizations across Europe, including those in Switzerland, are responding to these expectations and evolving legal frameworks. The research covers responses from over 1600 respondents globally on how their organizations are progressing in pay transparency. This article focuses on insights from Swiss employers, contextualized within the current Swiss legislative environment and the upcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive.

Switzerland’s legal framework anchored in the Constitution (Article 8) and the Federal Act on Gender Equality (GEA) prohibits gender-based pay discrimination. However, enforcement to date has been largely reactive, relying on individual complaints rather than proactive oversight.

Switzerland's revised Gender Equality Act, effective since 2020, requires companies with over 100 employees to conduct a pay equity analysis. This analysis aims to uncover unjustified pay disparities between male and female employees, serving as a crucial first step toward workplace gender equality. While Switzerland’s legislation is comparatively strict — mandating external audits and defined methodologies, it currently lacks robust monitoring and a long-term enforcement perspective.

In 2025, the Swiss government published an interim assessment of the pay equity law which gained a lot of attention: it clearly called out shortcomings in terms of effectiveness and revealed that almost half of organizations that were assessed did not comply with the requirements. With the EU Pay Transparency Directive set to take effect in less than four months from today, the Swiss government faces increasing pressure to modernize its approach. Enhancing transparency and accountability will be two key levers for advancing pay equity.

Across the border, the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive sets a fresh benchmark. While Switzerland is not bound by EU law, the EU’s Directive is setting new standards that influence market expectations and corporate practices across Europe. Many global organizations headquartered in Switzerland must comply with these standards in their EU entities.

Key elements of the EU Directive include:

• The right for employees to access information on pay levels and criteria
• Mandatory employer reporting on gender pay data
• Stronger equality bodies with investigative and enforcement powers

This model moves organisations from optional reporting to structured transparency - a shift that many Swiss multinationals and forward-thinking local firms are adopting voluntarily.

Recent insights from our survey underline a truth that many HR leaders already feel: transparency drives action.

• Similarly to our neighbouring countries, in Switzerland, pay transparency is no longer optional — it’s expected. Candidates (63%) and employees (57%) alike consider it a must-have.
  
  
• Sixty percent of Swiss organizations consider themselves prepared for pay transparency, exceeding the European average of 49%. This self-perception might be linked to Switzerland’s six years of pay equity legislation experience.
  
  
• Among the global organizations that are tackling pay transparency, the majority, 58%, have settled on the approach of defining global principles and minimum standards with room for local adjustments. Only 6% of organizations said they would adopt fully aligned global standards, potentially reflecting their acknowledgment that having a fully aligned global approach is not only difficult from a compliance standpoint but also challenging due to data and cultural readiness.
  
  
• Who in the organization is dedicating their time to this? Total Rewards teams lead pay transparency efforts in 65% of organizations in Switzerland, supported by HR leadership, HR tech, and legal functions.
  
  
• Indeed, organizations are active: two-thirds of organizations conduct pay gap analyses beyond legal requirements, examining data by job, level, and/or worker category.
  
  
• While Excel was the tool of choice for a long time, advanced HRIS and third-party tech solutions are now powering transparency efforts. One-third say that they are sharing pay information through an automated HRIS platform.
  
  
• While 36% of Swiss organizations do not plan to share pay information, nearly half disclose it both internally and externally, aligning with EU countries.

These findings reinforce that, while progress is being made, consistency and rigour still vary. Organisations embedding formal, ongoing processes — not just annual checks — are making the most significant strides toward pay equity.

Pay equity is not a one-off project. It is an ongoing discipline that must be embedded into core HR and compensation practices. Here’s a concise action framework:

Equal Pay Day may be symbolic, but the work it represents is concrete. The Swiss labor market can—and must—do better. Legislative momentum, evolving EU standards, and the competitive advantage of pay transparency all point toward a future where equal work truly means equal pay.

For organisations ready to lead, the question isn’t if you should act—it’s when and how fast. Let this Equal Pay Day be a call to action: Measure boldly.
Act consistently. Communicate transparently.