Employees
Our most important resource
Our employees are our most important asset. They drive change and get us to where we want to go. We treat them as equals, give them responsibility and focus on fair working conditions, equal opportunities, social security and personal development. We support educational measures both for our guests and our employees. We pay particular attention to appropriate and fair wages, social security, fair employment models, the integration and inclusion of employees, and a meaningful working environment where effort is recognised and valued.
Interlaken Youth Hostel
Number of employees/full-time positions
Number of employees
No Data Found
Number of employees
No Data Found
Number of full-time positions
No Data Found
Number of full-time positions
No Data Found
In 2024, the number of employees in both the hostels and in the administration increased: A total of 624 employees were employed in 386 annual full-time positions.
Wage policy
The wage system for management employees comprises fixed and variable wage components. While the fixed wage components are specified at appropriate levels according to uniform standards, the variable components derive from the achievement of individual objectives as well as the degree of budget adherence.
Youth hostel employees are subject to the “National collective agreement” (L-GAV). Administrative staff are paid according to the guidelines of the respective professional associations.
Following the principle of equal pay for men and women, the Swiss Youth Hostels pay all sexes according to the same terms/rates.
For 2024, an inflation adjustment of 2.0% was granted to employees with a monthly salary of up to and including CHF 5,000. In addition, from 1 January 2024, all employees of the Swiss Youth Hostels (except apprentices and interns) receive a minimum wage of CHF 4,000 per month and CHF 21.22 per hour. The Swiss Youth Hostels have thus defined a minimum wage limit that is above the L-GAV minimum wage rate in Category 1a.
Diversity
The Swiss Youth Hostels embrace and actively promote diversity within the organisation. The team is made up of employees from a total of 55 different countries. The proportion of women was 56% in 2024, compared to 46% in management. This diversity enriches both the working culture and the guest experience in the youth hostels. Another important aspect is the promotion of young talent: 16% of employees are 26 years of age or younger. Young team members bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas while gaining valuable professional experience in a dynamic environment. Diversity in terms of gender, age, origin and experience forms a key basis for the vibrant and inclusive organisational culture of the Swiss Youth Hostels and contributes significantly to their success.
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of nations | 56 | 55 | 55 |
Proportion of young employees up to and including 26 years of age in % | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Share of women
No Data Found
Share of women
No Data Found
Length of service
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Average length of service in years | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
Proportion of employees with length of service | in % | in % | in % |
|---|---|---|---|
under 5 years | 77.7 | 80.4 | 80.4 |
5–9 years | 11.5 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
10–14 years | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.9 |
15–19 years | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
20–24 years | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
25–29 years | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
over 29 years | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
Average length of service in years | 3.4 | 3.1 |
Proportion of employees with length of service | in % | in % |
|---|---|---|
under 5 years | 80.4 | 79.9 |
5–9 years | 9.5 | 8.9 |
10–14 years | 5.8 | 5.9 |
15–19 years | 2.2 | 2.3 |
20–24 years | 1.3 | 1.6 |
25–29 years | 0.4 | 0.5 |
over 29 years | 0.5 | 0.4 |
In 2024, a total of 26 employees celebrated milestone service anniversaries. The Swiss Youth Hostels appreciate the high level of loyalty of their employees and are proud of the fact that, in the reporting year, 14 employees had worked for the organisation for more than 20 years, 2 of them for more than 30 years.
Basic and advanced training
Advanced training represents a key element in our efforts to boost quality for our guests and employees.
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Advanced training courses offered | 20 | 28 | 27 |
Number of participants | 286 | 324 | 321 |
Number of apprentices and trainees | 8 | 7 | 10 |
Number of persons in external basic/advanced training | 2 | 3 | 14 |
2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
Advanced training courses offered | 28 | 27 |
Number of participants | 324 | 321 |
Number of apprentices and trainees | 7 | 10 |
Number of persons in external basic/advanced training | 3 | 14 |
Special services
Every year, employees, voluntary members of the Executive Board and delegates receive accommodation coupons allowing free usage of the youth hostels operated by the Swiss Youth Hostels. In the reporting year, benefits amounting to CHF 261,480 (prior year CHF 271,020) were thus obtained.
Case management and social counselling
Accidents and illnesses of our employees are handled in a professional manner in cooperation with an external business partner, and all measures are taken to ensure the reintegration of affected employees. An external social counselling service is also available free of charge to all employees for personal, health-related, financial, legal or administrative matters.
The function of a hostel manager is extremely challenging and requires a high level of self-organised resilience. To support the hostel managers, the business managers, their direct supervisors, were trained in a workshop in 2024 on the topic of “Dealing with excessive demands / consumption of addictive substances”. Individual advanced training courses on management and leadership were also held here.
Pension fund
Since 1 January 2021, the Swiss Youth Hostels have been affiliated as Vorsorgewerk Schweizer Jugendherbergen (Swiss Youth Hostels Employee Benefits Unit) with the Columna Collective Foundation Client Invest.
The Staff Pension Fund Commission was composed of four employee representatives and four employer representatives:
Employee representatives: Frenkel Jan, Fricke Marco (from 01/01/2024), Zollinger Markus
Employer representatives: Bunte Janine, Dobler René, Walter Laura (President)
Status 01/04/2025 – elected until 31 December 2025
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Retirement assets in CHF | 21,187,563 | 20,967,135 | 24,326,820 |
Available funds in CHF | 840,230 | 1,493,581 | 2,582,610 |
Cover ratio in % | 115.49 | 122.11 | 125.75 |
Active insured persons | 411 | 420 | 436 |
Pensioners | 45 | 50 | 56 |
2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
Retirement assets in CHF | 20,967,135 | 24,326,820 |
Available funds in CHF | 1,493,581 | 2,582,610 |
Cover ratio in % | 122.11 | 125.75 |
Active insured persons | 420 | 436 |
Pensioners | 50 | 56 |
The Swiss Youth Hostels have the coordination deduction in the 2nd pillar (OPA) at CHF 0. This decision specifically promotes the retirement provision of part-time employees, as the full salary is included in the calculation of pension fund contributions. As a result, these employees benefit from a higher pension benefit, which strengthens their long-term financial security.
Persons performing civil service
Civil service is a service for young men and women who choose not to perform military service on conscientious grounds. These individuals can perform assignments in the social sector, in nature park projects or in charitable organisations. The Swiss Youth Hostels also offer opportunities for persons performing civil service.
In 2024, 170 persons performing civil service (prior year 152) completed 6,265 service days (prior year 6,288) at the Swiss Youth Hostels.
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