Jobs in Schaffhausen: the market, the hiring sectors and where to look in 2026
Schaffhausen is an industrial canton on the Rhine: more than one job in five is in industry (STATENT 2024), piping systems and machinery, packaging, electronics, pharma. The canton has 49,000 jobs and 3.1% unemployment in September 2026. Surrounded by Germany, it employs many cross-border workers and has attracted European head offices thanks to its tax regime.
This page gives the official figures, the sectors hiring, the occupations to target and where to look for a job in Schaffhausen. See also jobs in Zurich and jobs in Thurgau.
The job market in Schaffhausen in figures
Unemployment rate: 3.1% in September 2026
According to SECO, 1,385 people were registered as unemployed in Schaffhausen in September 2026, a rate of 3.1% against 2.8% a year earlier. Swiss average: 3.0%.
Median wage: CHF 6,623 gross per month in Eastern Switzerland
According to the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey (2024), the median gross monthly full-time wage is CHF 6,623 in Eastern Switzerland, against CHF 7,024 for Switzerland. A benchmark for your salary expectations, to adjust by occupation and experience.
5,743 cross-border workers in the canton
In Q2 2026, the FSO counted 5,743 cross-border workers in the canton of Schaffhausen, out of 414,262 in Switzerland, mostly from Germany. The G permit requested by the employer and the tax rules are described in our guide to work permits for EU citizens.
49,147 jobs in the canton
The FSO business census (STATENT 2024) counts 49,147 jobs in the canton of Schaffhausen.
The sectors hiring in Schaffhausen
Manufacturing, 21.0% of jobs
Piping systems and foundry, packaging machinery in Neuhausen, pharma and electronics: polymechanics, automation technicians, engineers, production operators (STATENT 2024).
Health and social care, 14.8% of jobs
The Schaffhausen hospitals, psychiatry, care homes and home care hire nurses and support staff.
Retail and wholesale, 11.0% of jobs
Shops in the old town and the agglomeration, wholesale and European distribution head offices.
Professional services, 7.6% of jobs
Regional head offices of foreign groups, fiduciaries and IT: accountants, HR specialists, project managers, often in English.
The jobs in demand in Schaffhausen in 2026
The occupations where job offers come up most regularly in Schaffhausen, selected from the weight of each sector (FSO, STATENT 2024) and SECO’s 2026 list of occupations subject to the job vacancy notification requirement. For those, vacancies appear first on Job-Room for five working days.
Industry
- Polymechanic / production operator: piping, foundry, packaging machinery
- Automation / electronics technician: industry and electronics
- Engineer: mechanics, processes and pharma
- Welder: metalworking (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
Health and social care
- Nurse: Schaffhausen hospitals, psychiatry, care homes
- Healthcare assistant: care homes and home care
- Social worker / educator: institutions and residential homes
Head offices and services
- Accountant / finance specialist: European head offices and fiduciaries
- HR specialist / office clerk: head offices and SMEs, often in English
- IT specialist: head offices and services
Retail, construction and catering
- Sales assistant: old town and agglomeration
- Bricklayer / construction labourer: sites across the canton (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
- Cook: restaurants and hotels at the Rhine Falls; back on the 2026 list (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
Create your Licorn profile with your occupation and your conditions: recruiters looking for that profile in Schaffhausen contact you directly.
The occupations available on Licorn in Schaffhausen
Whether you are an accountant, a nurse, an engineer, an electrician or an office clerk, you can enter your occupation and your requirements on Licorn so that recruiters searching in Schaffhausen can identify you. The families below follow the Swiss classification of occupations (CH-ISCO); open them to see the most common job titles.
Administration, secretarial and reception (7 occupations)
- Office clerk
- Administrative assistant
- Executive assistant
- Medical secretary
- Receptionist
- Call centre agent
- Case administrator
Accounting, finance and audit (8 occupations)
- Accountant
- Accounts clerk
- Chief accountant
- Controller
- Financial analyst
- Auditor
- Tax specialist
- Payroll specialist
Banking and insurance (7 occupations)
- Bank client advisor
- Wealth manager
- Insurance advisor
- Claims handler
- Compliance specialist
- Credit analyst
- Trader
Human resources (6 occupations)
- HR assistant
- HR specialist
- HR manager
- Recruiter
- Staffing consultant
- Training manager
IT and software development (9 occupations)
- Software developer
- Web developer
- Software engineer
- System and network administrator
- IT support technician
- IT project manager
- Cybersecurity specialist
- DevOps / cloud engineer
- Software tester
Artificial intelligence and data (5 occupations)
- Data analyst
- Data scientist
- Machine learning engineer
- Data engineer
- Business intelligence analyst
Engineering (8 occupations)
- Mechanical engineer
- Electrical / electronics engineer
- Civil engineer
- Microtechnology engineer
- Process engineer / chemist
- Quality engineer
- Design draughtsman
- Technical project manager
Industry and production (11 occupations)
- Production operator
- Polymechanic
- Production mechanic
- Watchmaking operator
- Watchmaker
- Polisher
- Chemical / pharma operator
- Laboratory technician
- Welder
- Bar turner
- Production manager
Technical and maintenance (6 occupations)
- Maintenance technician
- Automation technician
- Electronics technician
- Industrial mechanic
- Service technician
- HVAC technician
Construction and civil engineering (8 occupations)
- Bricklayer
- Construction labourer
- Site manager
- Foreman
- Construction machine operator
- Road builder
- Architectural draughtsman
- Architect
Finishing trades and crafts (8 occupations)
- Painter
- Plasterer
- Joiner / cabinetmaker
- Carpenter
- Tiler
- Plumber
- Heating installer
- Roofer
Electrical trades and installations (6 occupations)
- Electrician
- Electrical fitter
- Electrical assembler
- Network electrician
- Telematics technician
- Solar installer
Health and nursing (6 occupations)
- Nurse
- Specialist nurse (emergency, intensive care, anaesthesia)
- Healthcare assistant (FaGe)
- Nursing aide
- Midwife
- Home care nurse
Medical and allied health (10 occupations)
- Physician
- Resident physician
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy assistant
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational therapist
- Radiographer
- Medical practice assistant
- Dental assistant / hygienist
- Psychologist
Social work and care (6 occupations)
- Social educator
- Social worker
- Early childhood educator
- Care assistant
- Community worker
- Home helper
Education and training (6 occupations)
- Primary school teacher
- Secondary school teacher
- Vocational school teacher
- Adult trainer
- Language teacher
- Special needs teacher
Retail and sales (8 occupations)
- Sales assistant
- Cashier
- Store manager
- Sales consultant
- Technical sales representative
- Key account manager
- Sales manager
- Retail employee
Marketing and communication (7 occupations)
- Marketing specialist
- Marketing manager
- Communications officer
- Social media manager
- Graphic designer
- Content manager
- Digital marketing specialist
Real estate (4 occupations)
- Property manager
- Real estate broker
- Caretaker
- Property accountant
Logistics and transport (8 occupations)
- Logistician
- Forklift driver
- Warehouse worker
- Truck driver
- Delivery driver
- Bus / train driver
- Customs clerk
- Supply chain manager
Hospitality and catering (10 occupations)
- Cook
- Head chef
- Kitchen helper
- Waiter / waitress
- Head waiter
- Bartender / barista
- Hotel receptionist
- Housekeeper
- Head housekeeper
- Hotel / restaurant manager
Tourism, sport and leisure (6 occupations)
- Ski lift operator
- Ski / sports instructor
- Travel agent
- Tour guide
- Tourist office employee
- Fitness coach
Cleaning, maintenance and security (6 occupations)
- Cleaner
- Cleaning supervisor
- Security guard
- Airport security officer
- Gardener / landscaper
- Facilities operative
Agriculture, food and environment (8 occupations)
- Farm worker
- Winegrower / cellar worker
- Cheesemaker / dairy worker
- Baker
- Butcher
- Food technologist
- Forester
- Environmental specialist
Personal services and beauty (6 occupations)
- Hairdresser
- Beautician
- Domestic worker
- Nanny
- Au pair
- Massage therapist
Legal, consulting and purchasing (7 occupations)
- Lawyer
- Attorney
- Paralegal
- Consultant
- Buyer
- Project manager
- Economist
Management and leadership (6 occupations)
- Chief executive
- Chief financial officer
- Sales director
- Team leader
- Branch manager
- Site / operations manager
Your occupation is not listed? The Licorn profile accepts any title: enter yours as you would search for it.
Where to look for a job in Schaffhausen
The cantonal employment office: Arbeitsamt Schaffhausen, RAV
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. Arbeitsamt Schaffhausen, RAV
The generalist portals
Our top 5 job platforms in Switzerland places jobs.ch, jobup.ch, Job-Room, Indeed and LinkedIn. For Schaffhausen, 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 Schaffhausen 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.
German cross-border workers and European head offices
The canton recruits widely across the border and in the head offices settled for tax reasons. A Licorn profile with Schaffhausen as place of work and your languages stated makes you visible to both types of employers.
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 Schaffhausen
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; Skan, Licorn’s agent, constantly scans the market to suggest relevant openings to you. 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 Schaffhausen
3.1% in September 2026 according to SECO, against 2.8% 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 6,623 in Eastern Switzerland (FSO, 2024). Adjust by occupation, experience and sector: our articles on the best-paid jobs and the 13th salary give benchmarks.
Among the occupations where job offers come up most regularly in Schaffhausen: polymechanic / production operator, automation / electronics technician, nurse, healthcare assistant, accountant / finance specialist, HR specialist / office clerk, sales assistant, bricklayer / construction labourer. See the list of occupations above for the detail by sector.
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.
Yes, with a G permit for EU/EFTA citizens, requested by the employer, provided you return home at least once a week. Withholding tax and health insurance follow their own rules: see our guide to work permits.
You create a profile with your conditions, recruiters with a position in Schaffhausen 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, Cross-border commuter statistics, Q2 2026: cross-border workers by canton of work
- FSO, Business census STATENT 2024: jobs by canton
- Arbeitsamt Schaffhausen, RAV, the canton’s public employment service
- SECO, job vacancy notification requirement: 2026 list of occupation types
- SECO, Job-Room: official platform of the public employment service