The Swiss Bank Employees Association (SBEA) is campaigning for an appropriate adjustment of salaries in the banking sector. For the salary negotiations in fall 2025, the association is calling for salary increases in the range of 2 to 3 percent – depending on the economic situation and the specific circumstances of the individual institutions. Bank employees with lower and medium salaries should all benefit from a wage increase in order to maintain purchasing power and compensate for the loss of real wages suffered over the years. In addition, employees whose wages have not been increased for some time should now also receive a pay rise. The SBEA Board has decided on these wage demands after consulting the elected staff representatives.

For several years now, bank employees, like most employees in Switzerland, have had to accept large real wage losses. In many banks, the high inflation of recent years has not been offset. And this despite strong productivity gains. As a result, the banking sector has some catching up to do in terms of wage development.

In addition, health insurance premiums have also risen this year and are expected to rise further next year. If these are added to inflation, the reduction in purchasing power in recent years is even more serious. In other words: in view of the rising cost of living, in particular due to rising health insurance premiums and rents, the purchasing power of the majority of bank employees has decreased in real terms over the last five years, despite requirements remaining the same or increasing.

The 2024 financial year was very positive for many banks, and the half-year results for 2025 are also pleasing in a multi-year comparison. Some banks are even reporting better results than in the previous year – despite the challenging interest rate environment. Even where profits are slightly lower, the earnings situation remains solid. Against this backdrop, the erosion of real wages hardly seems justifiable.

The results of our latest salary survey from this spring show that only a minority of bank employees received a salary increase for 2025. And a quarter of these salary increases amounted to less than 1 percent, which is even lower than the annual inflation rate of 1.1 percent reported for 2024.

The need to catch up is not the same in all banks – nor is the earnings situation. The SBEA therefore deliberately refrains from making a blanket demand. It recommends that staff representatives formulate their demands within the range of 2 to 3 percent, taking into account the specific situation of their institution.

The SBEA believes that general wage increases – particularly for lower and middle-income earners – are necessary and acceptable for employers. They help to stabilize purchasing power and allow employees to participate appropriately in economic success.