Jobs in Biel/Bienne: the market, the hiring sectors and where to look in 2026
Biel/Bienne is the largest bilingual city in Switzerland and the capital of watchmaking: Swatch Group, Rolex, Omega and dozens of subcontractors make precision industry the first employer, alongside healthcare, retail, administration and colleges. On the language border, the city recruits in French as in German. The available official figures cover the canton of Bern.
This page gathers the month’s benchmarks, the sectors hiring in Biel/Bienne, and the channels to use. Licorn is opening up to this market: the number of Biel recruiters is still limited, and your profile is visible to them now.
The job market in Biel/Bienne in figures
Unemployment rate: 2.2% in September 2026
According to SECO, 12,208 people were registered as unemployed in Biel/Bienne 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 Biel/Bienne.
The sectors and occupations hiring in Biel/Bienne
Watchmaking and precision
Manufacturers, movements, casing, bar turning: watchmakers, polishers, operators, precision mechanics and microtechnology engineers are sought after, with cycles linked to watch exports. Industry accounts for 11.9% of jobs in the canton of Bern (STATENT 2024).
Health and social work
The Biel hospital centre, clinics, nursing homes and home care recruit bilingual carers; health represents 16.2% of the canton’s jobs.
Retail, services and administration
Retail, business services, municipal and cantonal administration, communication and colleges: positions where bilingualism often makes the difference.
Construction, logistics and the Seeland
Between the Bernese Jura and the agricultural Seeland, construction, logistics and food processing offer manual positions year-round.
Where to look for a job in Biel/Bienne
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 Biel/Bienne, jobup.ch is the reference portal on the French-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 Biel/Bienne see you and send proposals. The app was born in French-speaking Switzerland, where recruiters are most numerous.
Bilingualism as a passport
In Biel/Bienne, some positions require French and German, especially in healthcare, sales and administration. State your level precisely in your Licorn profile: recruiters filter on this criterion.
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 Biel/Bienne
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 Biel/Bienne
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.
Not everywhere, but it is a clear advantage: many employers ask for French and German, especially in administration, retail and healthcare. State your languages in your profile: recruiters filter on it.
You create a profile with your conditions, recruiters with a position in Biel/Bienne send you proposals, you accept or decline. The app was born in French-speaking Switzerland, where recruiters are most numerous.
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