Switzerland's most popular employers in 2026: Watch industry no longer in the top 10
The Handelszeitung, the business magazine PME and the data and statistics company Statista have for the eighth time the 250 most popular Swiss employers The results were determined based on a comprehensive online survey. Significant changes have been observed among the surveyed companies in the watch industry.
Breitling had a sensational 6th place Having previously held the top spot in the overall ranking among watch and jewelry companies, the company no longer appears in this year's list of the most popular Swiss employers. It's likely that the company simply didn't participate. Patek Philippe was also included last year but is likewise absent in 2026.
Image on the left: @statista
The most popular employers in Switzerland 2025/2026: Watches/Jewelry
Following in second to sixth place in the watches and jewelry category were Rolex (8th overall), Richemont (20th overall), LVMH (24th overall), Patek Philippe (94th overall), and the Swatch Group (202nd overall). Victorinox (35th overall) was a new addition to the watches/jewelry list. Last year, the company was listed in the category "Manufacture of food and beverages, other consumer goods; watches/jewelry" and ranked 14th overall.
Only the Swatch Group was able to improve its position, ranking 159th overall in the current list of the most popular employers in Switzerland 2026.
This means the following rankings for the watches/jewelry category in 2026: Rolex (Overall ranking 23), Victorinox (Overall ranking 35), Richemont (Overall ranking 68), Swatch Group (Overall ranking 159) and LVMH (Overall ranking 192).
The Swiss business newspaper Handelszeitung speculates: "The difficult times in the watch industry with a strong Swiss franc, US tariffs and a struggling Chinese market seem to be leaving their mark."„
The annual ranking is based on a survey of 15,000 Swiss employees. More than 1,800 employers with at least 200 employees in Switzerland were identified using data from the previous year and extensive research across 19 sectors. The data was collected between May and July 2025 and comprised over 200,000 evaluations, which were included in the ranking.
