GENEVA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The median salary for a full-time job in Switzerland in 2016 reached 6,502 Swiss francs (6,509 U.S. dollars), with the pay gap between the highest and lowest earners decreasing only very slightly, according to a latest report published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday.
The government survey finds that the bottom ten percent of Swiss earners had a salary of less than 4,313 Swiss francs (4,317 dollars) a month, while the best paid ten percent earned more than 11,406 Swiss francs (11,418 dollars) a month.
The report also shows that the pay gap between the highest and lowest earners decreased only very slightly in the years between 2008 and 2016, from a factor of 2.7 down to a factor of 2.6.
During the same period, wages increased by 6.3 percent for the top ten percent of earners, by 6.9 percent for the middle-income earners, and by 9.9 percent for the lowest paid ten percent.
Overall, the share of low-wage jobs in the Swiss economy is declining, according to the FSO statement. A low-wage job is defined as a full-time job with a gross monthly wage of less than 4,335 Swiss francs (4,339 dollars).
In 2016, there were approximately 329,000 such jobs in the country, representing 10.2 percent of total jobs, compared to a proportion of 11.4 percent in 2008.
Meanwhile, the gap between male and female wages is decreasing also, according to the FSO figures. In 2016, the gender pay gap was 12 percent, compared to 12.5 percent in 2014.
The gap, however, was more pronounced in the private sector, where women earned 14.6 percent less than their male colleagues, compared to 12.5 percent in the public sector.
These wage discrepancies could be partly explained by variations in activity type as well as structural differences, according to the report.
While the figures of Swiss monthly earnings might seem high, especially in some branches, it's important to remember that Switzerland also has a high cost of living. For example, people spend about a third of their income on rent alone.
