Jobs in Bern: the market, the hiring sectors and where to look in 2026
As the federal capital, Bern is the second canton in Switzerland by employment with more than 677,000 jobs according to STATENT 2024, and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Federal administration, healthcare, machinery and precision industry, agriculture, Bernese Oberland tourism and the watchmaking hub of Biel: the canton is bilingual and highly diversified.
This page gathers the official figures of the month, the sectors that are hiring, what candidates targeting Bern on Licorn ask for, and the channels to use. The bilingual city of Biel/Bienne has its own page: jobs in Biel/Bienne.
The job market in Bern in figures
Unemployment rate: 2.2% in September 2026
According to SECO, 12,208 people were registered as unemployed in Bern in September 2026, a rate of 2.2% against 2.0% a year earlier. Swiss average: 3.0%.
Median wage: CHF 6,964 gross per month in the Espace Mittelland
According to the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey (2024), the median gross monthly full-time wage is CHF 6,964 in the Espace Mittelland, against CHF 7,024 for Switzerland. A benchmark for your salary expectations, to adjust by occupation and experience.
677,492 jobs in the canton
The FSO business census (STATENT 2024) counts 677,492 jobs in the canton of Bern.
The sectors and occupations hiring in Bern
Health and social work, 16.2% of jobs
Inselspital, regional hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and social institutions: the canton’s first employer recruits carers in both languages (STATENT 2024).
Manufacturing, 11.9% of jobs
Machinery, precision, watchmaking in Biel and the Bernese Jura, food processing, medical: operators, polymechanics, automation technicians and engineers are in demand.
Federal and cantonal administration
Federal offices, Parliament, cantonal administration, SBB, Swiss Post and Swisscom are headquartered in Bern: administrative, legal, IT and communication positions, often requiring two national languages.
Retail and tourism
Retail and wholesale account for 10.0% of jobs; the Bernese Oberland, Interlaken, Gstaad and the Jungfrau region recruit in hospitality and catering every season.
What candidates looking for a job in Bern ask for
Median target salary: CHF 105,000 per year
Half of the candidates aim for at least CHF 105,000 gross per year full-time. Compare with the regional median wage above.
87% accept or want remote work
Only 13% of candidates rule out remote work. Fully on-site positions are therefore increasingly negotiated on salary or hours.
5% are looking for part-time
The large majority aim for full-time; 5% ask for less than 100%.
Most requested fields: IT and telecoms, marketing, media and PR, industry and technical production
These three fields come up most often in profiles targeting the canton (41%, 23% and 23% of candidates).
Where to look for a job in Bern
The cantonal employment office: Amt für Arbeitslosenversicherung (AVA)
Registration is required to receive unemployment benefits, but useful even without: counsellors, training measures, and above all Job-Room, where positions subject to the notification requirement are published five days before any other channel. Amt für Arbeitslosenversicherung (AVA)
The generalist portals
Our top 5 job platforms in Switzerland places jobs.ch, jobup.ch, Job-Room, Indeed and LinkedIn. For Bern, jobs.ch is the reference portal on the German-speaking side.
Licorn: your conditions, and recruiters come to you
Create a profile with your salary, location, workload and remote work wishes: recruiters offering a job in Bern see you and send proposals. Licorn is opening up to German-speaking Switzerland: the number of recruiters there is still limited, and your profile is visible to them now.
A bilingual canton with two markets
The Bernese Jura and Biel recruit in French and German, the rest of the canton in German. Specify your languages and areas in your Licorn profile, which is opening up to this market with a still limited number of recruiters.
Network and spontaneous applications
Some positions are never advertised: professional associations, former colleagues, local fairs. A solid file remains essential: see our guides to the Swiss CV and the cover letter.
The Licorn method for a job in Bern
A profile with your conditions
Salary, location, workload, remote work, type of contract: you set them once. Recruiters see them before contacting you.
Proposals, not applications
Recruiters see the profiles that match their position and send a proposal with the position’s conditions. You accept or decline.
Free for candidates
No fees, no cover letter for a position that does not suit you. Our job market barometer shows what candidates ask for.
Frequently asked questions about jobs in Bern
2.2% in September 2026 according to SECO, against 2.0% a year earlier and 3.0% on average in Switzerland. SECO publishes cantonal figures at the start of each month.
The median gross monthly full-time wage is CHF 6,964 in the Espace Mittelland (FSO, 2024). Adjust by occupation, experience and sector: our articles on the best-paid jobs and the 13th salary give benchmarks.
No, except to receive unemployment benefits. But registered candidates see positions subject to the notification requirement first, for five days, on Job-Room, and get a counsellor.
In most occupations, yes, at least spoken, and dialect matters day to day. English-speaking positions exist in large companies, IT and research. State your languages in your profile: recruiters filter on it.
You create a profile with your conditions, recruiters with a position in Bern send you proposals, you accept or decline. Licorn is opening up to German-speaking Switzerland: the number of recruiters there is still limited, and your profile is visible to them now.
Sources
- SECO, The labour market situation in September 2026: unemployment rate and unemployed by canton (PDF, tables 9 and 10, in French)
- FSO, Swiss Earnings Structure Survey 2024: median gross monthly wage by major region
- FSO, Business census STATENT 2024: jobs by canton
- Amt für Arbeitslosenversicherung (AVA), the canton’s public employment service
- SECO, Job-Room: official platform of the public employment service
- Licorn, job market barometer for French-speaking Switzerland, October 2026 (anonymised export of 19.10.2026)