Jobs in St. Gallen: the market, the hiring sectors and where to look in 2026
St. Gallen is the hub of Eastern Switzerland: more than 317,000 jobs according to STATENT 2024, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and the most industrial canton on this page after Neuchâtel and the Jura. Machinery, metal, technical textiles, food processing, healthcare, retail and a renowned business university structure the market, from the city to the Rhine valley and the Toggenburg.
This page gathers the official figures of the month, the sectors that are hiring, and the channels to use. Licorn is opening up to German-speaking Switzerland: the number of St. Gallen recruiters is still limited, and your profile is visible to them now.
The job market in St. Gallen in figures
Unemployment rate: 2.0% in September 2026
According to SECO, 5,768 people were registered as unemployed in St. Gallen in September 2026, a rate of 2.0% against 2.0% a year earlier. Swiss average: 3.0%.
Median wage: CHF 6,623 gross per month in the Eastern Switzerland
According to the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey (2024), the median gross monthly full-time wage is CHF 6,623 in the Eastern Switzerland, against CHF 7,024 for Switzerland. A benchmark for your salary expectations, to adjust by occupation and experience.
317,461 jobs in the canton
The FSO business census (STATENT 2024) counts 317,461 jobs in the canton of St. Gallen.
The sectors and occupations hiring in St. Gallen
Manufacturing, 19.7% of jobs
Machinery, metallurgy, electronics, technical textiles, food processing: the canton’s first sector, strong in the Rhine valley and in Wil, recruits operators, polymechanics, automation technicians and engineers (STATENT 2024).
Health and social work, 14.5% of jobs
The cantonal hospital, regional hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and home care recruit carers across the canton.
Retail and logistics, 10.7% of jobs
Distribution, retail and logistics towards Austria and Germany: accessible positions, partly subject to the employment office notification requirement.
Services, finance and administration
Regional banks, insurers, cantonal administration and university: commercial employees, advisers, IT specialists, HR specialists.
Where to look for a job in St. Gallen
The cantonal employment office: Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (AWA)
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 Wirtschaft und Arbeit (AWA)
The generalist portals
Our top 5 job platforms in Switzerland places jobs.ch, jobup.ch, Job-Room, Indeed and LinkedIn. For St. Gallen, 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 St. Gallen 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 market facing the Rhine valley and the borders
More than 10,000 cross-border workers, mostly Austrian and German, work in the canton according to the FSO. Rhine valley companies recruit across the region: state your areas and mobility in your Licorn profile.
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 St. Gallen
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 St. Gallen
2.0% 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 6,623 in the Eastern Switzerland (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 St. Gallen 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 Wirtschaft und Arbeit (AWA), the canton’s public employment service
- SECO, Job-Room: official platform of the public employment service