Liechtenstein: jobs and pay

What is the unemployment rate in Liechtenstein?

The unemployment rate was 2.0% in 2025, according to Office of Statistics figures cited in the Government's Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten 2026. On the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition, the Liechtenstein-Institut estimates the rate at 3.1% for 2024, and youth unemployment at 2.5%.

The official rate counts people registered as unemployed with the public employment service, so jobless people who are not registered are left out. That is why the brochure also gives the ILO-based estimate, which can be compared with other European countries. More than half of the people working in Liechtenstein commute from Switzerland and Austria, and they are not counted in its unemployment rate.

Official sources: Government of Liechtenstein: Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten zu Liechtenstein, Ausgabe 2026 (PDF)

What is the average salary in Liechtenstein?

The median gross monthly wage in 2024 was CHF 7,253 for employees living in Liechtenstein and CHF 7,514 for cross-border commuters, according to the Government's Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten 2026, based on the Office of Statistics wage statistics.

The median is the middle wage: half of employees earn more and half earn less. The figures are gross, before social insurance contributions and tax. The brochure also notes that real median wages have risen fairly steadily since 2010, slightly faster in Liechtenstein than in Switzerland. The Office of Statistics publishes the full wage statistics, broken down by sector, sex and occupation.

Official sources: Government of Liechtenstein: Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten zu Liechtenstein, Ausgabe 2026 (PDF)

How much is the state pension in Liechtenstein?

A full AHV old-age pension is between CHF 1,225 and CHF 2,450 a month, according to the Liechtenstein AHV-IV-FAK. Where a person falls in that range depends on their average insured annual income. Widows' and widowers' pensions are 80% of the old-age pension (CHF 980 to 1,960) and orphans' pensions are 40%.

These amounts apply to people with a full contribution record. Gaps in contributions lead to a lower, partial pension. The ordinary pension age is 65 for women and men born in 1958 or later. The AHV is the first pillar. Most employees also have an occupational pension (second pillar) under the company pension law.

Official sources: AHV-IV-FAK: Rentenhöhe · AHV-IV-FAK: Rentenalter

How many people commute to work in Liechtenstein?

24,943 people commuted into Liechtenstein for work in 2024 (2023: 24,641), according to the Government's Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten 2026, using Office of Statistics data. Commuters made up 57% of employment. 61% came from Switzerland and 35% from Austria.

Employment in Liechtenstein reached 43,330 in 2025, which is 105.7% of the resident population. The brochure gives 59.0% for Switzerland and 76.0% for Luxembourg on the same measure. It also records a small fall in employment in 2025, after decades of growth. Commuters' wages are shown separately in the wage statistics.

Official sources: Government of Liechtenstein: Wirtschafts- und Finanzdaten zu Liechtenstein, Ausgabe 2026 (PDF)

What is the average wage in Liechtenstein?

The ILO puts average monthly earnings of employees in Liechtenstein at $6,826 a month in 2018. Europe & Central Asia median: $1,591 a month; Liechtenstein is 2nd highest of 43. World rank, highest first: 2nd of 98.