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MISSION

The Swiss Employers Confederation is the voice of employers in the commercial, political and public sectors in Switzerland. This central organisation is committed to ensuring the most favourable economic and employer policy framework conditions. By doing this, it intends to improve Switzerland’s competitiveness as an area of commerce and employment and therefore build the foundations for growth, employment, prosperity and social security.

The Swiss Employers Confederation pursues its objectives within the context of a liberal and social market economy. It devotes itself to achieving a flexible employment market, entrepreneurial freedom, competition and the efficiency principle. It recognises constructive social partnership and social harmony as important factors in ensuring the success of the Swiss economy. The association is also committed to the high-quality training and further development of employees. In addition, it is responsible for social systems that bring about situation-appropriate output, support personal responsibility for actions and that are financially feasible.

The key themes and activities of the Swiss Employers Confederation lie in the areas of the employment market, training and social policy. It is in these areas that it represents the interests of employers in respect of the political world, administration, the public and other institutions and interest groups.

ORGANISATION

As a central organisation, the Swiss Employers Confederation organises around 90 regional and sector-based employer associations and a number of individual enterprises. In total, the association represents over 100,000 small, medium-sized and large businesses, covering around 2 million employees from all economic sectors.

The most senior body of the Swiss Employers Confederation is the Members’ Assembly, which decides on the direction of the association’s policy, approves the annual accounts and the annual report and also elects the members of the Board. The Board consists of representatives from the affiliated sectors and regional associations, as well as freely elected individuals. It determines the guidelines of the association’s policy, decides on the association’s fundamental standpoints and elects the Committee, which is composed of 10 to 14 Board members.

The Committee is responsible for managing the association within the framework of the constitution and the guidelines of the Board. It decides on the budget, makes decisions on important submissions and provides support in coordinating the association’s policy with the association’s members and fosters contact with the political world, authorities and other commercial umbrella organisations. The Committee and Board are led by the Chair. Finally, the secretary’s office looks after the association’s operational work under the overall management of the Director.