Zurich’s minimum wage has been a long time coming but it will finally enter into force on January 1st 2027.
Workers in Zurich will soon benefit from a minimum wage after a Federal Court decision will finally be put into force by the city’s council.
Referring to the legal wrangles and appeals that had delayed the introduction of the minimum wage in the country’s biggest city, Councillor Céline Widmer, Head of the Social Department said: “The appeal has already delayed the implementation of the popular vote by several years – a very long time for employees with very low wages.
“After the Federal Court’s decision, it was therefore important for us to put the minimum wage into effect as quickly as possible. With this, the City of Zurich is taking an important step in the fight against in-work poverty.”
Back in 2023, approximately 70 percent of Zurich voters approved the introduction of a minimum wage.
But then the plan came unstuck. The city’s Chamber of Commerce and the employers’ union filed appeals against this decision.
In 2024, the Zurich Administrative Court accepted these arguments, ruling that these municipal decisions did not comply with cantonal legislation.
But then came another twist in May this year when the Federal Court ruled that Zurich and neighbouring Winterthur cities have a “sufficiently broad autonomy to adopt such measures.”
Appeals against this move were filed by centre-right and right groups, but the Federal Court ultimately ruled in favour of the hourly wage set at 23.90 francs / hour.
And so finally the regulation will finally come into effect on January 1st, 2027, the city government announced on Thursday.
Employers will be granted a transitional period until December 31, 2027, to implement the minimum wage requirements.
