Swiss AI Job Ads Jump 32% as SMEs Drive Hiring, HSLU Study Finds

Demand for artificial intelligence skills is rising fast in Switzerland, and smaller companies are leading the way. Between July 2025 and June 2026, just under 5,000 AI vacancies were advertised in the country, 32% more than a year earlier, according to the AI Jobs Report 2026 published on Thursday by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), swissinfo.ch reported, citing the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for 76% of the growth. “AI is no longer just the preserve of large technology companies, but is increasingly being integrated into the processes and services of established SMEs,” said study author Curdin Derungs. The IT sector posted the most openings, 1,211, up 49%. Banks and insurers such as Axa, Julius Bär and the Swiss National Bank were also hiring, as were pharmaceutical groups Roche, Novartis and Lonza and engineering employers including Siemens, Hitachi Energy and ABB.

The public sector grew fastest, with a 67% rise in AI roles. Its largest employers include the Canton and City of Zurich and the Federal Office of Public Health. Derungs read that as a sign that policymakers and authorities are gaining confidence in the technology. Geographically, Zurich dominated with 2,181 vacancies, or 45% of the total, followed by the cantons of Geneva with around 620 and Bern with around 590.

What it means in practice

The boom is not reaching everyone. Openings for experienced specialists who can build and deploy AI systems rose by 42%, but only 5% of vacancies were permanent junior roles, and even entry-level posts often asked for two to three years of experience. Graduates told the authors about job searches lasting months and dozens of rejected applications. Derungs said he was surprised that even experienced professionals were increasingly struggling to find work.

The public-sector figures fit with the Federal Council’s five priority areas for AI in the federal administration, while the strain on workers echoes a Syndicom study on AI and Swiss telecom staff. The data also suggests that adoption is spreading well beyond the research labs behind the Apertus models from ETH and EPFL.

What to watch: whether SMEs keep hiring if the economy slows, whether employers and universities create more structured entry routes for graduates, and whether next year’s report shows the junior share rising from today’s 5%.