Minimum wage
is the lowest lawful pay for work, set by statute, collective agreement or both. Levels update annually (sometimes twice), several countries run age or sector bands, and some — Switzerland federally, Italy — rely on CBA minimums instead of one national figure. Permit salary thresholds sit far above these floors.
Reading minimum wage correctly across markets
Three regimes coexist: national statutory floors (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Poland), CBA-based minimums that bind whole sectors (Italy, Nordic countries, Switzerland federally — with cantonal exceptions like Geneva’s, among Europe’s highest), and hybrid systems where CBAs top statutory floors. The EU adequacy directive pushed member states toward higher and more predictable updates.
Compliance is calculated per period against countable pay elements — which allowances count differs by country. Posted workers must receive host-level pay from day one; leased workers often owe staffing-CBA minimums above the general floor.
FAQ
Does Switzerland have a minimum wage?
Not federally — pay floors come from declared collective agreements and from cantonal minimum wages in a handful of cantons (Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, Ticino, Basel-Stadt), with Geneva’s above CHF 24 per hour. For leased personnel, the staffing CBA’s minimums apply nationally.
What counts toward minimum wage compliance?
Base pay always; allowances, premiums and benefits count or not per national rules — tips, overtime premiums and expense reimbursements are commonly excluded. Cross-border employers should verify the countable-components list per country rather than assuming gross-total logic.