Swiss Life baut 600 Stellen ab – Grund ist die «fortschreitende Digitalisierung»
Der Versicherer ist mit seinen Geschäftszahlen auf Kurs, reduziert aber die Zahl seiner Beschäftigten. Die Hälfte der Stellenstreichungen soll die Schweiz treffen.
Swiss Life, a Swiss insurance company, announced plans to cut around 600 jobs by the end of 2028. Half of these layoffs will affect Switzerland, primarily targeting Swiss Life in Switzerland and Swiss Life Asset Managers abroad. The company cited the "progressive digitalization" as the reason for the job cuts. Matthias Aellig, Swiss Life's CEO, explained that the reductions have already amounted to around 100 positions through selective hiring.
Natural fluctuations are also contributing to the job cuts, with more reductions expected by the end of the year. Currently, Swiss Life employs around 11,000 people, with 2,500 working for Swiss Life Switzerland. The insurance company aims to meet the financial targets set in its three-year "Swiss Life 2027" program, which runs until next year.
In the first half of this year, Swiss Life increased its net profit by 8% to 649 million Swiss Francs. The growth in commission and fee business, as well as in insurance, was welcome. Swiss Life also announced a new share buyback program worth 250 million Swiss Francs. Analyst Matteo Lindauer from Bank Vontobel called it a "positive surprise."
Aellig stated that the company is already looking beyond 2027, aiming to strengthen efficiency. The job cuts highlight the challenges in the Swiss insurance sector, as many business processes are being digitized and further consolidations are expected after the merger of Helvetia and Baloise. Insurance is a mass market, and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to bring significant changes.
Jobs with repetitive tasks are particularly vulnerable, with voice bots already able to handle simple customer interactions. A traditional job in insurance is well-paid and very secure, but rougher times may be ahead. The historic building on Zürcher General-Guisan-Quai is undergoing extensive renovation in the fall. Patrick Frost manages the largest real estate portfolio in Switzerland. He explained how the construction of new apartments could speed up.
Written by urgent.news from NZZ Wirtschaft's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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