How many positions has the state actually created in French-speaking Switzerland since 1990? A data analysis combines the public accounts of the Federal Finance Administration with employment statistics from the Federal Statistical Office to provide an answer canton by canton.
The exercise requires methodological caution: the canton of Bern, which hosts the federal administration, can only be compared with the others in terms of change, not absolute levels, since these federal jobs artificially inflate its staffing figures.
For anyone considering a career in the public sector or negotiating with a local authority, this type of long-term data highlights the cantons where public-sector employment has grown the most, and those where it has remained stable.