Swiss market sector activities in the 2nd quarter: Rise in turnover and employment
Neuchâtel, 08.09.2026 — A similar trend was observed in market sector activities across the Swiss economy in the 2nd quarter 2026: turnover rose by 5.3% compared with the same quarter of the previous year and employment in these same market sector activities rose by 2.0% (total employment +2.0%).
In the secondary sector (industry and construction), turnover rose slightly (+0.4%), as did employment (+1.2%). Market sector activities in the tertiary sector (services) reported an 8.5% increase in turnover. Employment rose by 2.4% compared with the previous year.
Secondary sector
While the industrial sector experienced a slight fall in turnover of 0.3% in the 2nd quarter of 2026, employment throughout this sector rose by 0.9%. In contrast, construction recorded an increase in turnover (+3.1%) and in the number of jobs (+1.7%). Overall, this resulted in a 0.4% increase in turnover and a 1.2% increase in employment in the secondary sector in the 2nd quarter of 2026.
Tertiary sector
Turnover rose across all tertiary sector market activities in the 2nd quarter 2026. By far the largest increase in turnover was seen in wholesale and retail trade (+12.2%).
However, employment in information and communication activities (‒3.1%) and wholesale and retail trade (‒0.2%) fell. The largest increases in employment were seen in administrative and support service activities (+10.5%).
Retail turnover rose by 1.1% and employment by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter 2026.
Focus topic: Energy supply
Energy supply (NOGA 35), which comprises the distribution of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning through pipelines, is classified under industry, i.e. the secondary sector. Production and consumption data are sourced from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) [BFE Publikationen].
Over the past decade, energy supply has evolved differently to the secondary sector as a whole. Between the 2nd quarter 2016 and the 2nd quarter 2026, the number of full-time equivalent jobs rose by 27.1%, far exceeding the growth observed in the secondary sector as a whole (+6.0%). Since 2021 alone, there has been an increase of 20.8% (secondary sector: +5.4%). However, real output fell by 10.2% over the same ten-year period, whereas it rose by 35.4% in the secondary sector. In contrast, nominal turnover has risen by 35.5% (secondary sector: +35.3%), and by as much as 41.6% (+19.0%) since 2021. The growth in turnover in the energy supply sector was therefore driven primarily by prices rather than growth in demand.
Compared with the previous year, the picture looks slightly less positive. Although full-time equivalent employment continued to rise compared with the 2nd quarter 2025 (+2.4% versus +1.2% in the secondary sector), production (−2.0%) and turnover (−8.7%) were down. In contrast the secondary sector saw production rise by 5.1% and turnover remain stable (+0.4%). Nevertheless, there has been a recovery compared with the previous quarter (Q1 2026): on a seasonally adjusted basis, production (+4.5%) and turnover (+1.9%) were again on the rise, although they still lagged behind the secondary sector (+7.7% and +4.1% respectively). Full-time equivalent employment fell slightly (−0.3%), rising slightly in the secondary sector (+0.3%).
This press release and further information on the topic can be found on the FSO website.