22,286 new companies established in the first six months of 2018 – 1.6% growth compared to the same period of the previous year

CRIF AG analyzed the number of companies established in the first six months of 2018 and the number of companies removed from the Business Register in the same period. During the period in question, 22,286 new undertakings were established overall. This corresponds to a 1.6% increase compared to the first six months of 2017. Conversely, in the first six months of the year, 14,995 companies were removed from the Business Register.

The largest number of new registrations occurred in the following cantons: Zürich (3,941), Vaud (2,312), Geneva (1,900), Bern (1,766) and Aargau (1,366). If we compare the number of companies established with the figures from the first six months of 2017, the highest increase can be seen in the Canton of Zug with 245 new companies, followed by the Canton of Geneva with 122, Ticino with 57 and Lucerne and Graubünden with 32 new companies apiece. Offsetting these are the Cantons of Thurgau (-67), Bern (-54) and Valais (-35), where fewer companies were established compared to the first six months of 2017.

By comparing the number of new companies established with the number of existing companies in the area at the start of the year, the largest net growth was in the Canton of Lucerne with 1.9%, followed by Uri, Valais, Zürich and Zug, all with a growth of 1.6%. Only the Canton of Obwalden has a negative balance, with -0.7%.

Looking at the individual sectors, the construction sector registered the largest number of openings (1,815), followed by management consultancy (1,693), retail trade (1,657) and catering services (1,216).
Regarding companies removed from the register, retail trade registered the highest number of closures (1,566), followed by wholesale (1,293), construction (1,292), and catering services (1,177).

The sectors that registered the highest net growth were management consultancy (928), real estate (640), and planning, IT consultancy and related activities (626). On the other hand, there was a reduction in the number of companies in the country for the wholesale sector (-198), insurance (-91), and printing and reproduction of recorded media (-24).

The complete study can be requested by writing to presse.ch@crif.com