Content

  • Competitiveness and challenges: two-thirds of Swiss companies rate their competitiveness as good – but increasing competitive pressure, particularly from competitors in emerging markets, means they need to continuously develop.
  • Challenges and strategies: rising energy prices, increasing regulation and the shortage of skilled workers are putting many companies under pressure, and they are responding with sustainability measures, digitalization and automation.
  • Success factors: quality and reliability are the most important success factors for Swiss companies, while competitive prices play a less crucial role, as many companies operate in specialized niche markets.
  • Global market leaders: Swiss-based global market leaders invest more than average in research and development and focus on innovation and expansion, thus securing their position in highly specialized international markets.
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Competitiveness of Swiss companies

Switzerland has always been known for its high level of competitiveness: in 2025, it took the top spot out of the 69 countries surveyed in the IMB Competitiveness Ranking and was therefore rated as particularly competitive. How do Swiss companies assess their own competitiveness? The ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ study series takes an in-depth look at this topic and is based on a survey conducted in mid-April 2025 that involved more than 800 companies.

Well positioned, but the competition does not sleep! 

According to the first study, two-thirds of Swiss companies rate their competitiveness as good or very good. Just 6% rate it as poor or very poor. Industrial and export companies in particular view the situation critically. Despite their strong competitive position overall, Swiss companies cannot afford to rest on their laurels. This is because the survey also shows that competitive pressure has increased over the past five years for both domestic and export-oriented companies – especially due to growing competition in emerging markets. As a result, continuous development is all the more important for Swiss companies. Without substantial adjustments, around 32% of the companies surveyed expect their competitive position to deteriorate. 

Read the first short study on the topic to find out more about the competitiveness of Swiss companies.

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Current challenges for Swiss companies

The second publication in the study series examines which challenges particularly affect the competitiveness of Swiss companies. 

The survey shows that 60% of the companies stated that rising energy prices and increasing regulation negatively impact competitiveness. A significant worsening of the shortage of skilled workers was ranked third and poses a challenge for around half of the respondents.

Although US import tariffs under the Trump administration dominated the headlines at the time of the survey in April 2025, only 27% of companies stated that these tariffs affected their competitiveness. However, the survey had already been conducted before the scale of the import tariff was announced (39%; figure from September 2025).

Around 60% feel that rising energy prices are relevant for their competitiveness. 

The study also shows that many companies are actively addressing the current challenges: for example, companies affected by rising energy prices more frequently plan to implement sustainability measures. Their goal is to lower energy consumption in the long term, thereby increasing their resilience to potential price shocks. 

Companies that suffer from a shortage of skilled workers are also responding proactively: investing more heavily in digitalization and automation. These new technologies should help mitigate the impact of a stagnating workforce and ease the shortage of skilled workers.

Read the second short study to discover which additional strategies the participating companies are using to address the challenges and strengthen their resilience.

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Quality and personal responsibility are the recipe for success

More than half of the companies plan to expand in the next three years. This includes expanding into new markets, launching new products and increasing brand awareness via targeted marketing activities. In addition, 46% are focusing on efficiency improvements thanks to digitalization and automation, while 43% are pushing the use of artificial intelligence.

The survey asked the Swiss companies taking part to allocate a total of 100 points to the various success factors they consider particularly important for their competitiveness. The results showed that quality and reliability, with an average of 30.7 points, are clearly the most important factors for success. Competitive prices were ranked only fourth, with 14.3 points.

Quality and reliability are the most important factors for success 

The fact that reliability and quality play a more important role than competitive prices is due to the Swiss companies’ own assessment that they predominantly operate in niche rather than mass markets. Export-oriented companies in particular are more often active in such specialized markets than average. Their focus on quality allows them some scope to evade the intense price competition – especially from providers in low-wage countries.

Download the short study now and find out which key measures Swiss companies are focusing on and about the crucial role innovation plays.

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Global market leaders and their success

According to the fourth publication, 6% of Swiss companies describe themselves as global market leaders. The majority of them are active in the industrial sector. The proportion is particularly high among large corporations, with 41% of them considering themselves global market leaders. Swiss global market leaders are typically active in highly specialized and often international niche markets.

The growth potential of these markets presents a mixed picture. However, compared to other Swiss companies, global market leaders more often see themselves as being in a growth market. Their international orientation and global customer base indicate that their business is more scalable and offers greater potential for growth.

69% of global market leaders plan to invest in research and development.

The study shows clear differences between the efforts of the global market leaders and other Swiss companies. It is particularly striking that global market leaders invest in research and development more than twice as often. While 69% of Swiss-based global market leaders plan to invest in these areas over the next three years, this figure is only 28% for non-global market leaders.

This innovative strength is a key factor for success for the global market leaders, as the survey confirms. In highly specialized markets, it is not enough to just be the market leader once – it’s crucial to continuously defend this position. Innovation plays a key role here. 

Read the fourth short study to learn how Swiss-based global market leaders differentiate themselves from other companies and how they maintain their position at the top.

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Conclusion

Even though Swiss companies continue to face additional challenges owing to increased intervention from foreign governments, they are taking a proactive and responsible approach. Despite increasingly difficult external conditions, the majority of companies are satisfied with their economic situation and market position. In their opinion, quality and reliability continue to be the most important factors for success.Â