Doing Business in Switzerland

Economic and Trade Policies

The Swiss economy is not based as much on mass production as it is on high quality products and services from a highly-skilled workforce. Most businesses are small-sized and serve niche markets, whether in precision machinery, biotechnology, medical devices, chemicals, electronics, information technology, foods, and other areas. As a result even some small enterprises have been able to corner the world market in certain fields. Its services industries have also focused on highly-skilled areas of business, such as banking and insurance.

Switzerland's government policies on economics and trade reflect the country's niche focused industries. For this reason, policies relating to exports and imports play a decisive role in the country's economic agenda. Policies are centered on maintaining and expanding the nation's state-of-the-art infrastructure, its favorable legal and tax systems, and its integration into the European and global economies.

Check our Hot Topics page for up-to-date information in Swiss-US trade. Additional general information about Switzerland's economic environment are available from the following web sites:

Economic and Trade Policies


Federal Department of Finance	OSEC Business Network	Location Switzerland (or for: US-based site)


State Secretary of Foreign Affairs	Federal Department of Economy	Federal Statistics Office


	Swiss Embassy in the U.S.

U.S. Embassy in Switzerland
U.S. Commercial Service, Switzerland
Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Dept. of State FY 2001 Trade Guide: Switzerland
OECD Economic Survey of Switzerland
Swiss Federation of Trade Unions
Swiss Banking Commission
Swiss Tourism Federation
Federal Office for Education and Science

Regional business information

Association of Swiss Foreign Trade Chambers
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Switzerland
Business Promotion Central Switzerland
Geneva Business Promotion
Basel Economics Ltd
Swissfirms Database