Executive Summary
Swiss workers are losing ground rapidly.The share of Swiss nationals fell from 31% to 26% within a single year (−5 percentage points) — the steepest decline ever recorded. At this rate, Swiss workers will account for fewer than 1 in 5 domestic employees by 2028.
Portugal’s dominance is growing. Portuguese workers rose from 19% to 21% (+2 pp.), consolidating their position as the largest foreign nationality group. Combined with Spain (8%) and Brazil (5%), the Iberian-Latin American bloc now represents 34% of all domestic workers — surpassing Swiss nationals.
The workforce is becoming more diverse, more foreign, and more precarious. 122 nationalities are represented (2023: 120). At the same time, C permits (permanent settlement) dropped from ~33% to ~25%, while B permits (temporary) held steady at ~33% — a sign of growing precarity.
Nationality Trends: 2023 vs. 2024
| Rank 2024 | Nationality | 2023 | 2024 | Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 31% | 26% | −5 pp. | Sharp decline |
| 2 | Portugal | 19% | 21% | +2 pp. | Growing |
| 3 | Spain | 6% | 8% | +2 pp. | Fastest growth |
| 4 | Italy | 6% | 6% | 0 pp. | Stable |
| 5 | Brazil | 4% | 5% | +1 pp. | Growing |
| — | Other (117 nationalities) | 34% | 34% | 0 pp. | Stable (aggregate) |
Base: 10,235 contracts (2023) and 10,641 contracts (2024) on the Quitt platform. Top 5 nationalities combined: 66% in both years.
The Historic Reversal: Iberian-Latin American Bloc Overtakes the Swiss
Swiss workers
- •2023: 31% (largest single group)
- •2024: 26% (minority)
- •Decline: approx. 406 fewer workers
- •Reasons: wage competition, stigma, ageing
- •Projection 2030: approx. 13%
Iberian-LatAm bloc (PT+ES+BR)
- •2023: 29% (Portugal 19% + Spain 6% + Brazil 4%)
- •2024: 34% (Portugal 21% + Spain 8% + Brazil 5%)
- •Growth: +812 foreign workers net
- •Reasons: EU free movement, wage gap, networks
- •Projection 2030: 43–49% (near majority)
In 2023, Swiss nationals still narrowly outnumbered the Iberian-Latin American bloc (31% vs. 29%). By 2024, the ratio had reversed: 34% vs. 26% — a historic turning point.
Why are Swiss workers leaving the sector?
- •Wage competition: At CHF 31.98/hr gross, household work pays roughly half the Swiss median wage (CHF 7,024/mo. full-time). Swiss workers have better-paid alternatives.
- •Ageing workforce: The average age of accident victims (49.7 years) points to a mature workforce. Departing Swiss workers are not being replaced by younger Swiss.
- •Stigma: Domestic cleaning carries a stigma that affects locals more than immigrants, for whom any formal employment represents an improvement.
- •Labour-market strength: With ~2% unemployment, Swiss workers can easily transition to other sectors.
Permit Analysis: From Permanence to Precarity
| Permit type | 2023 | 2024 | Change | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B permit (temporary) | ~33% | ~33% | Stable | Fixed-term, renewable, employment-dependent |
| C permit (settlement) | ~33% | ~25% | −8 pp. | Permanent residence, stronger protection |
| Swiss (no permit required) | ~31% | ~26% | −5 pp. | Maximum legal protection |
| Sans-papiers (registered) | 8 | 8 | Stable | Not representative; tens of thousands work informally |
Alarming finding: The drop in C permits from ~33% to ~25% means fewer established workers. B-permit holders have weaker labour protections and are more reluctant to report poor working conditions, underpayment, or safety violations — because their residency is tied to employment.
2030 Projections: What the Sector Will Look Like
| Metric | 2024 (actual) | 2030 (projection) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total registered contracts | 10,641 | ~13,000–14,000 | +25–30% |
| Swiss share | 26% | 12–15% | −11 to −14 pp. |
| Portuguese share | 21% | 25–28% | +4 to +7 pp. |
| Spanish share | 8% | 11–13% | +3 to +5 pp. |
| Brazilian share | 5% | 7–8% | +2 to +3 pp. |
| Iberian-LatAm bloc | 34% | 43–49% | Near majority |
| C permits | ~25% | ~18–20% | Further decline |
| B permits | ~33% | ~38–40% | Growing |
| Average wage (CHF/hr) | 31.98 | ~33.50–34.50 | +2% annually |
When will Portugal overtake Switzerland?
| Year | Switzerland (proj.) | Portugal (proj.) | Overtaken? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (actual) | 26% | 21% | No |
| 2025 | 22% | 23% | Yes — Portugal overtakes |
| 2026 | 19% | 24% | Gap widens |
| 2030 | 13% | 27% | Portugal is twice as large |
By 2030, Swiss household employment will be a sector almost entirely reliant on migrant labour. The typical domestic worker will be female (97%+), Portuguese, Spanish, or Brazilian (combined ~45%), holding a B permit, and aged between 45 and 55.
Three Scenarios for the Future
Scenario A: Status Quo (most likely)
Migration continues, Swiss workers keep leaving the sector. The undeclared-work rate declines slightly thanks to platforms like Clino and Quitt but remains substantial (30–50%). No policy interventions.
Scenario B: EU Free-Movement Restriction
If EU/EFTA free movement were curtailed, the Portuguese and Spanish pipeline would be disrupted. This would trigger an acute labour shortage in domestic work, driving wages and undeclared employment upward simultaneously.
Scenario C: Regularisation Push
A political push to regularise informal domestic work (e.g. cantonal sans-papiers programmes) could bring thousands of invisible workers into the statistics — revealing an even more migrant-dominated workforce.
Gender and Migration
97% female across 122 nationalities: this is not merely a labour-market story — it is a story about gender and migration. The feminisation of domestic work mirrors global patterns (ILO: 76 million domestic employees worldwide, 80% informal). Switzerland structurally depends on migrant women to maintain its households, while its own female population increasingly moves into higher-value sectors. The nationalities with the fastest growth (Portugal, Brazil) are those with the most extreme gender imbalance in domestic employment.
Sources
- Quitt Household Workers Report 2025 (Data year 2024) — 10,641 active contracts, nationalities, permits
- Quitt Household Workers Report 2024 (Data year 2023) — 10,235 active contracts
- FSO SLFS 2023 (2023) — Swiss Labour Force Survey
- SECO BGSA Report 2023 (2023) — Undeclared-work enforcement data
- Homegate AG (2024–2025) — Representative household survey
- FSO Satellite Account for Household Production (2020) — National accounts
- ILO (Various) — Global study on domestic employment
