Jobs in Thurgau: the market, the hiring sectors and where to look in 2026
Thurgau has 150,000 jobs (STATENT 2024) and 2.2% unemployment in September 2026. It is an industrial and agricultural canton on Lake Constance: rolling stock in Bussnang, machinery and metal in Arbon, Frauenfeld and Weinfelden, food and orchards, and a border with Germany at Kreuzlingen that brings thousands of cross-border workers.
Here you will find the official figures of the month, the sectors hiring, the occupations to target and where to look for a job in Thurgau. See also jobs in St. Gallen, jobs in Zurich and jobs in Schaffhausen.
The job market in Thurgau in figures
Unemployment rate: 2.2% in September 2026
According to SECO, 3,558 people were registered as unemployed in Thurgau in September 2026, a rate of 2.2% against 2.3% 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.
6,802 cross-border workers in the canton
In Q2 2026, the FSO counted 6,802 cross-border workers in the canton of Thurgau, 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.
149,746 jobs in the canton
The FSO business census (STATENT 2024) counts 149,746 jobs in the canton of Thurgau.
The sectors hiring in Thurgau
Manufacturing, 19.0% of jobs
Rolling stock in Bussnang, machinery and metal in Arbon and Frauenfeld, food, plastics: polymechanics, welders, automation technicians, engineers and operators (STATENT 2024).
Health and social care, 15.5% of jobs
The hospitals of Frauenfeld and Münsterlingen, psychiatry, care homes and home care hire nurses and support staff.
Retail and wholesale, 12.0% of jobs
Supermarkets, shops in Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen, Arbon and Weinfelden, wholesale.
Construction and education
Building and civil engineering, 7.8% of jobs, and schools, 6.9%, in a canton that is gaining residents.
The jobs in demand in Thurgau in 2026
The occupations where job offers come up most regularly in Thurgau, 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: rolling stock in Bussnang, machinery and metal in Arbon and Frauenfeld
- Welder: steel construction and rail vehicles (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
- Automation technician / electrician: industry and installations
- Engineer: mechanics, electrical engineering and food
Health and social care
- Nurse: hospitals in Frauenfeld and Münsterlingen, care homes
- Healthcare assistant: care homes and home care
- Social worker / educator: institutions and residential homes
Retail and logistics
- Sales assistant: shops in Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen, Arbon, Weinfelden
- Forklift driver / warehouse worker: logistics and food industry (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
- Office clerk: SMEs, insurers and administration
Construction, education and catering
- Bricklayer / construction labourer: housing sites (notification to the employment office required in 2026)
- Teacher: schools across the canton
- Cook: restaurants on Lake Constance; 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 Thurgau contact you directly.
The occupations available on Licorn in Thurgau
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 Thurgau 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 Thurgau
The cantonal employment office: Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, RAV Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen and Amriswil
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, RAV Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen and Amriswil
The generalist portals
Our top 5 job platforms in Switzerland places jobs.ch, jobup.ch, Job-Room, Indeed and LinkedIn. For Thurgau, 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 Thurgau 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.
Kreuzlingen and Konstanz, one agglomeration across the border
Thousands of German cross-border workers work in Thurgau, mainly in Kreuzlingen and Arbon. Recruiters know the G permit; state your place of work and workload clearly.
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 Thurgau
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 Thurgau
2.2% in September 2026 according to SECO, against 2.3% 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 Thurgau: polymechanic / production operator, welder, nurse, healthcare assistant, sales assistant, forklift driver / warehouse worker, bricklayer / construction labourer, teacher. 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 Thurgau 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
- Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, RAV Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen and Amriswil, 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