Unpaid internships deepen inequality in Switzerland, critics warn

Internships in Switzerland range from well-paid positions to unpaid work, raising concerns about equal opportunities, SRF reports.

Thomas Villaman is completing an internship in medical communications at a pharmaceutical group in Meyrin, in the canton of Geneva. He earns between 2,000 and 3,000 Swiss francs a month and also receives free meals and access to fitness facilities.

“I have a supervisor and my own project. At the end, I will write a report for my master’s degree,” he told French-language broadcaster RTS. The internship is intended to provide additional support rather than replace a permanent position.

Nina, whose name was changed by the editorial team, had a very different experience. She worked unpaid for six months at a non-profit organisation in Geneva. “There are no employees at my workplace. All the work is done by interns, and the person responsible is hardly ever there,” she said. The workload was heavy, overtime was routine and promised training never took place.

Switzerland has no national rules governing pay for interns. Regulations largely depend on the cantons or collective labour agreements. Student associations say this creates a problem because there are far fewer internship positions than applicants, allowing employers to set the conditions themselves. Students who accept a full-time unpaid internship often have to rely on savings or family support, which can affect equal opportunities.

Sociologist Dominique Glaymann says the issue goes beyond pay. He describes the “internisation” of the labour market, arguing that internships increasingly replace positions once reserved for people entering the workforce. An instrument originally intended to help young people start their careers can therefore become an obstacle.

There is no statistical evidence that completing several internships actually improves the chances of securing a permanent job. Nevertheless, interns have become an important source of labour for some companies. A natural cosmetics start-up in Neuchâtel employs two interns alongside seven permanent staff. Managing director Paul Liurette said financial considerations played a role: “On average, an intern costs two and a half times less than someone starting their career.”