Specialisation, Not Scarcity: What’s Driving Tech Recruitment in Switzerland?

Swiss tech may be in recovery mode, but pockets of innovation are running hot. With venture capital inflows stabilising and a strong push for digitalisation in high-impact sectors like tech and finance, opportunities for top talent are evolving.

From DevOps to Data, Trust in SODA explores the driving forces in the labour market below.  

The convergence of tech and finance

The lines between tech and finance continue to blur as the demand for hybrid skill sets rises. Between the broad adoption of embedded finance and a crypto-friendly banking environment, we’re seeing a host of opportunities for candidates who can bridge gaps in digital payments.

DevOps engineers are popular targets in this space – according to our LinkedIn data, UBS more than doubled (52%) its DevOps workforce in the last 12 months. Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland’s largest cantonal bank, grew its DevOps headcount by 15% over the same period.

Bern and St Gallen are hotspots for this talent. For firms looking to scale in these areas, we recommend tightening your technical assessment periods:

‘DevOps candidates in this space are often hit with multiple offers. Moving fast is the best way to avoid getting priced out of the market, so it’s important  you try and avoid drawn-out interview cycles that involve more than four stages when you can.' - Oliver Perry, Managing Director at Trust in SODA

Digitisation in Private Banking

Private banking, a Swiss staple and a historically slow-to-digitalise industry, has seen a recent surge in modernisation.

Infrastructure-focused talent is driving progress in this sector, reflected in a significant uptick in hiring across Switzerland’s top five private banks by assets under management: (UBS, Pictet, Julius Baer, Vontobel, and J. Safra Sarasin).

Each has seen headcount growth across core engineering roles like Cloud, Platform, DevOps, Data, and Architecture, which signifies rising demand for tech talent with financial domain expertise.

‘We’re seeing Swiss retail banks fall behind in the digitalisation race, at least compared to their overseas counterparts in areas like the UK and the US. Private banks are catching up, driving the competition for transformation-focused roles who can apply cloud and data skills in tightly regulated, client-sensitive environments.’

Alex Okła, Senior Principal Consultant at Trust in SODA Switzerland   

As financial institutions adjust to a tech-native customer base, seamless digitalisation presents one of the only meaningful ways to compete with big tech’s domination of accessible, scalable platforms.

The benchmark for UX/UI design is higher than ever, with online users accustomed to a frictionless digital experience. Speaking of which…

UX/UI Design

Demand for UX/UI developers is far from the peak we saw back in 2020, and given the bloated market, it’s easy to see why these roles aren’t commanding the same urgency as they once did.

There are a few reasons for this:

• There seems to be a degree of misalignment between what businesses expect/want from a UX designer and what the role entails. This is especially relevant for sectors with poor maturity (traditionally, banking and health) in the UI space.
• In regulated industries, UX design typically fights an uphill battle. When compliance guardrails box you into designing in a certain way, UX/UI professionals can have a hard time demonstrating value.
• Hiring managers have been struggling to target the right candidates. In a saturated market, we’ve seen businesses lose confidence in their UX/UI hires over the last few years.
• The AI influence is piling the pressure on traditional UX/UI skill sets. Businesses are in cost-cutting mode, and the emergence of accessible, affordable AI platforms has raised questions about whether or not dedicated UX/UI roles are valuable.

What’s changing?

These dynamics look poised to shift. According to the World Economic Forum, UX and UI designers are the 8th fastest-growing jobs up to 2030.

As digital usability becomes a key differentiator (and a regulatory imperative), user-centricity will force businesses to rethink their approach to design.

The flood of AI-generated interfaces will likely make standout human-centred design even more valuable, especially in critical sectors like finance and health, where the user experience is so closely tied to trust and clarity.

The digitalisation frenzy could drive demand for these roles, although they might not look like the job descriptions we’ve become accustomed to. The era of siloed design roles has been fading for a while.

Tech still Dominates TMT Transactions

It’s worth noting that, despite the recent decline in M&A activity, Swiss tech is still attracting disproportionate investor attention.

According to PwC, tech assets accounted for 90% of all TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) transactions in 2024.

Investors are doubling down on areas like cloud, AI, data, and cybersecurity, leading to sustained demand for highly specialised technical roles.

Talk About Change

It's hard to navigate uncertain labour markets in the face of fast-changing tech and regulation. Trust in SODA's consultants work at the intersection of these challenges, and we’re eager to support Swiss businesses with cost-sustainable hiring solutions that cut through the noise. Talk to us directly to learn more: Oliver@trustinsoda.com.