Saturday, a working day like any other
Weekend working in Switzerland follows different rules for each day: Saturday is an ordinary working day, while Sunday is in principle a day off that needs a permit or exemption, the employee's consent and compensation. Hotels, restaurants, tourist resorts and retail rely on rota systems, and students often take such positions.
The Labour Act provides no supplement for Saturday work. In retail, in Zurich as in Lausanne, Saturday is often the busiest day of the week, and many contracts rely on a rota system rather than any extra pay for weekend shifts.
The legal Sunday starts on Saturday night
Under the Labour Act (LTr), Sunday covers the period from 11 pm on Saturday to 11 pm on Sunday. A team starting at midnight in a Basel warehouse or a newspaper printing plant is therefore already working on Sunday, under rules distinct from night work.
A 50% supplement for occasional Sundays
When Sunday work is temporary, the law requires a 50% pay supplement. Cantonal labour inspectorates, such as the Vaud employment service, point out that this supplement comes on top of compensatory rest and never replaces it, whatever the employer may suggest.
Compensatory rest after a Sunday shift
For up to 4 hours of Sunday work, equivalent time off must be granted within four weeks. Beyond 4 hours, the employee is entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of rest, placed on a working day in the preceding or following week.
Hotels, restaurants and tourist resorts
Hotels and restaurants benefit from an exemption and need no permit for Sunday work. Weekends are often the core of the roster there, with roles described in our section on hospitality jobs in Switzerland, which fall under the national collective agreement for the sector.
Ski lifts and the winter season
In Verbier, Zermatt or Crans-Montana, Saturdays and Sundays bring the biggest crowds. A job as a ski resort worker in Switzerland almost always means working every weekend from December to April, with days off taken during the week instead.
Sunday opening in the retail trade
Outside railway stations, airports and recognised tourist areas, shops may only open on Sundays with an exemption. Cantons can, however, designate up to four Sundays a year without a permit, often before Christmas, when a sales assistant in Switzerland may be called in.
Public holidays treated as Sundays
The 1st of August, the national day, counts as a Sunday throughout Switzerland. Cantons may designate up to eight further holidays, which explains the differences between Catholic Fribourg and Protestant Vaud for Corpus Christi or the Federal Fast Monday holiday.
Weekend jobs for students
Students at universities in Geneva, Bern or Zurich often find Saturday work in retail, events or fast food. Conditions and limits on working hours are covered in detail in our guide to student jobs in Switzerland, including rules for international students.
Hospitals, care homes and public services
Healthcare, the police, SBB (CFF) public transport and emergency services run seven days a week. Collective agreements or cantonal staff regulations there provide flat-rate weekend allowances, often expressed in francs per hour rather than as a percentage of the salary.
Free Sundays guaranteed by law
Even in exempt sectors, Ordinance 2 to the Labour Act guarantees a minimum number of Sundays off each year, which varies by sector. The annual roster handed over by the employer should make it possible to check that this minimum is actually respected.
Employee consent and family responsibilities
Sunday work requires the worker's consent. A parent with children under 15 can invoke family obligations, and the cantonal employment office or a trade union such as Unia can provide advice in case of disagreement over the roster or schedule.
Steps to find a weekend job in Switzerland
- Identify the sectors hiring at weekends: hotels, restaurants, ski lifts, station shops, healthcare, events and security.
- Check your work authorisation, whether a B, L, G or C permit, or the weekly hours limit for non-EU foreign students.
- Write a Swiss-format CV with a photo, precise Saturday and Sunday availability, languages spoken and reachable references.
- Attach employment references and, for hospitality, any training certificates or proof of food hygiene courses.
- Check in the contract the number of Sundays planned, the 50% supplement or CCT allowance, and the compensatory rest.
- Keep your rosters and payslips to prove the Sundays you worked in case of a dispute before the labour court.
Weekend supplements and pay components
| Situation | Rule or amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | No statutory supplement | A CCT or the contract may provide an allowance |
| Temporary Sunday work | 50% pay supplement | Plus compulsory compensatory rest |
| Sunday work up to 4 hours | Equivalent time off within 4 weeks | To be taken on a working day |
| Sunday work over 4 hours | At least 24 consecutive hours of rest | In the preceding or following week |
| Base salary | Indicative, depending on CCT and canton | Varies by sector, experience and cantonal minimum wage |
Application file for a weekend position
- Swiss-format CV stating which weekends you are available
- Short cover letter highlighting your flexibility on hours
- Employment references or certificates from previous assignments
- Residence permit, G permit or student card with work authorisation
- Criminal record extract for security or childcare roles
- First aid or food hygiene certificate for restaurant work
Common pitfalls in weekend jobs
- Accepting regular Sunday work with no compensatory rest at all, believing that the supplement paid is enough to comply with the Labour Act.
- Confusing Saturday and Sunday rules, then wrongly asking the human resources department for a statutory Saturday supplement that does not exist.
- Applying to a German-speaking resort in Graubünden without stating your level of German, a decisive criterion for customer-facing roles.
- Working weekends undeclared in a restaurant, without a permit or AVS registration, which leaves you without accident cover or unemployment rights.
- Paying a registration fee to a so-called agency promising well-paid weekend jobs, when a genuine agency is paid by the employer instead.
Questions about working Saturdays and Sundays
Balancing a weekend rota with study, family and rest
Weekend work is attractive for people who cannot work during the week, but it asks for discipline. Because the busiest days of a shop, a restaurant or a care home fall on Saturday and Sunday, employers expect reliability at exactly the moments when friends and relatives are free. Think about this honestly before you sign.
Agree on the rota in advance and ask how far ahead the schedule is communicated. A plan published only a few days before makes it hard to organise childcare, lessons or travel. Find out too how swaps with colleagues are handled and whether a short-notice change is always personal responsibility.
Protecting the free time
Rest is not a luxury. If you work every weekend, plan at least one fixed free day during the week and keep it for sleep, errands and people you care about. Students in particular should keep study blocks in their diary just like work shifts, otherwise exams suffer after a few tired months.
Keeping a good relationship with the team
Weekend teams are often small and rely on each other. Arrive on time, tell the manager early about illness and take the share of the less popular shifts. Colleagues remember who covered for them. A reputation for reliability brings better hours, holiday requests that are granted and sometimes an offer for a weekday post.
Finally, keep a record of the shifts you actually worked. Notes of dates and start and finish times help you check the payslip and settle any disagreement calmly with the employer.
Does the 50% supplement apply in a restaurant open on Sundays?
Not necessarily. In sectors where Sunday is part of normal business, such as hotels and restaurants, Sunday work is regular and compensation mainly follows the CCT. The employee nevertheless keeps the right to compensatory rest and to a minimum number of free Sundays.
Can a student work only at weekends in Switzerland?
Yes, many hourly contracts cover only Saturday and Sunday. A non-EU student must, however, respect the weekly hours limit set during the semester and obtain authorisation from the cantonal population office before starting any paid work.
Can I refuse to work on a Sunday?
Sunday work requires the employee's consent. In a sector where Sunday work is usual and written into the contract, a systematic refusal may nevertheless cause problems. The exact terms should be checked in the contract, the CCT and with the cantonal labour inspectorate.
Do cross-border workers have the same weekend rights?
Yes, a G permit holder employed in Switzerland is covered by the same Labour Act rules as resident colleagues. Swiss law governs the 50% supplement, the compensatory rest and the public holidays of the canton where the work is carried out.