Digitalisation, Home Office and Cyber Security in Swiss SMEs

First conducted in Switzerland in 2020

8 out of 10 SMEs entrust their digital infrastructures to external IT service providers and also seek advice from them in the area of cybersecurity. However, there is hardly any progress in the implementation of measures to protect against cybercrime. The results of the latest study on digitalisation and cybersecurity in SMEs make it clear: the more companies identify themselves as digital pioneers, the more often they implement technical and organisational measures to strengthen cybersecurity in their company. However, while in previous years around one fifth of the SMEs surveyed always saw themselves as digital pioneers, in 2023 this figure is only around one tenth.

The survey was carried out on behalf of the Swiss Mobiliar Insurance Company Ltd, digitalswitzerland, Allianz Digitale Sicherheit Schweiz, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW – Digital Transformation Competence Centre and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW.


Mobilising the skilled labour potential of the 58-70 age group

Published 21 June 2021

As in other sectors, digitalisation and the ageing of society will be drivers for the decline in labour market supply. The ageing of society means that an increasingly large proportion of the population will no longer be available as a workforce. The overarching goal of the study is to capture the skilled labour potential of the 58 – 70 age cohort in ICT and the opportunities to activate that group.


Swiss Software Industry Survey (SSIS)

First conducted in Switzerland in 2015; annually updated.

digitalswitzerland supports the annual Swiss Software Industry Survey (SSIS), the largest study in all of Switzerland to examine the industry’s key performance indicators, which is carried out by the Institute of Information Systems at the University of Bern. The SSIS is a long-term survey and provides information on the latest situation, the newest trends and long-term developments in the Swiss software industry.

The complete study results since 2015 until today:


The Status Quo of the ICT Specialists | Estimated Demand

First conducted in Switzerland in 2010; updated every two years.

The number of people working in information and communication technology (ICT) in Switzerland is growing at twice the rate of the overall economy. Every two years, ICT Vocational Training Switzerland, a subsidiary association of digitalswitzerland, considers how many ICT specialists the country will need in the coming eight years.

The complete study results since 2010 until today (only available in German):


Population Survey “Security on the Internet”

First conducted in Switzerland in 2019

From 25 January to 15 February 2019, the market and social research institute gfs-zürich asked one thousand adults in German-speaking and western Switzerland about online security.

The survey shows that about one million people in Switzerland have already been affected by an attack via the Internet. These attacks resulted in financial damage, needed time and expense to put them right or had a stressful emotional impact. Nonetheless, more than half of those affected believe they are sufficiently well informed to be able to protect themselves against such attacks. This conflicting view, at odds with the reality of the damage caused, shows just how important comprehensive awareness-raising activities are.


Cyberrisks in Swiss SMEs

First conducted in Switzerland in 2017.

More than a third of all Swiss SMEs are affected by cyber-attacks. Most, however, still feel they are well to very well protected, and only 4% of SMEs’ CEOs consider a cyber-attack a significant or very significant risk to their livelihood. These disturbing findings are from the representative survey carried out by market and social research institute gfs-zürich. Trade associations and the government are being pressed to take action to counteract this nonchalance towards cyber-attacks.


Labour Market Opportunities for Unemployed IT Staff Aged 45+

First conducted in Switzerland in 2015.

The study shows that job-seeking IT professionals aged 45 and over are well qualified overall. The fact that job market opportunities fall as applicants get older could be related to recruiting filters. There is a lack of transparency in the IT industry due to the lack of a single language for describing capabilities and requirements. The study proposes specific measures to promote opportunities on the labour market for Swiss IT professionals. The measures and recommendations are aimed at applicants/employees, employers and industry associations, educational institutions as well as politicians and administrators.