Salary
Everything you need to know about your salary at ETH Zurich: how it is determined, what allowances and deductions apply and when it is paid.
Employees with support roles in administration, IT and technology, employees in management and staff as well as those with scientific roles such as senior scientists, scientific staff with and without management duties, senior assistants or project staff with relevant contracts are employed under the ETH Domain's salary system.
How is your starting salary determined?
When you join ETH Zurich as an employee or switch positions within ETH, HR partners will determine your function and function level within the DownloadETH Domain's function grid (PDF, 106 KB) based on your job description. For each level, the ETH Domain's salary system defines a salary band with maximum and minimum compensation levels. The external pagesalary bands, also referred to as salary scales, can be found on the ETH Board’s website.
HR partners will set your starting salary within this band. The years of relevant experience will be considered – assessed according to a professional career typical for the role's requirements. Additionally, HR partners will compare your salary with similar positions at ETH Zurich or within the labour market.
Salary development
At the end of each year, the ETH Board decides on the amount of the cost-of-living adjustment that all ETH staff employed under the ETH Domain's salary system will receive. ETH Zurich also conducts salary reviews in autumn, during which the responsible parties assess the salaries of their staff and allocate funds, earmarked by the ETH Board, for individual salary increments.
What does that mean for you? Any increase in your salary will include a cost-of-living adjustment, provided it has been approved by the ETH Board. Whether you receive further salary increments depends on the following factors:
- Available funds for the salary review
- Position of your current salary within the salary band
- Your relevant experience – up to 15 years
You can find your years of experience in ETHIS under Employment & Salary > My Employment Data. - Your performance and conduct
You will receive feedback on these aspects during the annual dialog appraisal interview. - Salary comparisons within the team and/or similar functions by those responsible for the salary review
Further information
Your salary overview
Details about your salary can be found in ETHIS under Employment & Salary > Salary as of 1 January.
You will also receive the link via email at the beginning of January.
Doctoral students, postdocs and scientific assistants receive fixed-rate salaries.
- They are based on their function and are automatically increased by a pre-determined amount until the third year of employment.
- The Executive Board of ETH Zurich decides annually on any adjustments to fixed-rate salaries.
Lump-sum salaries are an exception for employees funded by project grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) or other donors. This applies to roles such as doctoral students, postdocs, established researchers and scientific staff, as well as temporary positions in administration, IT, technical support or internships.
- Starting salaries, outlined in the employment contract, are dependent on the available project funds.
- Annual salary increments are not generally provided and also depend on the project funds.
- There is no entitlement to cost-of-living adjustments.
Hourly salaries are exceptions for teaching assistants and other people who do irregular assignments for ETH Zurich.
- The hourly wage applies for the entire term of employment.
- Increases are not generally provided for and are only granted if the Rectorate approves new hourly rates for teaching assistants or if the project funding allows.
- There is no entitlement to receive a cost-of-living adjustment.
Professors can find the provisions regarding their salary in the DownloadOrdinance of the ETH Board for professors (in German) (PDF, 169 KB).