# Jobs in the chemical industry

A map of a former edition of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. It opens only in the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS, not in the web atlas; see the links below.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-chemical-industry/
- Short title: Chemical industry: jobs
- Map id: 736
- Categories: Economy and Energy › Industry › Chemicals
- Keywords: Economy, Industry, Labour, Labour force
- Published: 2010-11-26
- Last revised: 2022-02-10
- Content language: English
- Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/beschaeftigte-in-der-chemischen-industrie.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/emplois-dans-lindustrie-chimique.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/addetti-nellindustria-chimica.md)

## Description

The chemical industry covers companies active in the basic chemical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. Companies involved only in research and development are not included in this category. This export-oriented industry is important for the Swiss economy as it accounts for a large proportion of Swiss exports.
The chemical and pharmaceutical industry generated 5.4% of Switzerland’s gross domestic product in 2018. It is the export leader, annually selling products to other countries valued at around CHF 88 billion (38.4% of total Swiss exports). This sector directly employs around 70,000 people in Switzerland and over 338,000 internationally.
The first chemical and pharmaceutical plants sprang up in the 19th century and were involved in manufacturing dyes for the textile industry. Later, they would concentrate their efforts on products with high-added value, such as serums, vaccines and medication. Following the financial crisis and major restructuring in the 1990s, the pharma sector has grown steadily since 2000. Exports alone rose from CHF 8 billion in 1990 to CHF 71 billion in 2015.
A handful of major chemical and pharmaceutical firms, such as Novartis, Roche, Merck Serono, Syngenta, Firmenich and Givaudan, dominate the industry. However, nearly half of all employees work in small- and medium-sized companies. In all, there are around 1,000 companies working in this sector. Most are based in Basel, Zurich, Zug and the Lake Geneva region.

## Sources

- FSO (2004): Eidgenössische Betriebszählung
- EDA (2020): [Chemie und Pharma](https://www.eda.admin.ch/aboutswitzerland/de/home/wirtschaft/taetigkeitsgebiete/chemie-und-pharma.html)

## Data sources

- Atlas der Schweiz: Administrative Einheiten 1:1 Mio. (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)
- Atlas of Switzerland: [Administrative Einheiten 1:500.000 (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- ETH Zurich: [Atlas of Switzerland](https://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- FSO (2020): [Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/industrie-dienstleistungen/erhebungen/statent.html)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Gemeindegrenzen GG25](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/landscape/boundaries3D)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Landeskarte 1:500.000](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/maps/national/lk500)

## Data owners

- [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- [Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO)](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/)
- [Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo)](http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/)

## Citation

The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as:

> Atlas of Switzerland (2022): Jobs in the chemical industry. ETH Zürich. Map data © AoS, FSO, swisstopo. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-chemical-industry/

## Links

- Map page, with the description and sources and a button that opens the map in the desktop atlas: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-chemical-industry/
- Open the map in the desktop atlas (version 4), where it is installed: adsglobe://map/736
- Download of the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/ads4-download/

## Related maps

- [Establishments in the chemical industry](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/establishments-in-the-chemical-industry.md) (id 740, former edition, desktop atlas only)

For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).