In 2022, 42,030 existing businesses moved their head office locations within Switzerland. This represents 7% fewer movements than took place in 2021, when 45,250 changed locations. 82.8% of all changes of domicile occurred within the same canton, while 7,224 businesses moved to a different canton. The trend for businesses to move their base to other cantons is continuing to grow slowly; 15.5% of companies relocated between cantons in 2018, compared with 17.2% in 2022.
Thurgau, Valais and Graubünden report the highest level of net inflow
The highest level of net inflow from other cantons was reported by the Canton of Thurgau (87 businesses), followed by the Cantons of Valais (71) and Graubünden (70).
The Canton of Thurgau attracted businesses mainly from Zurich (86), St Gallen (80) and Appenzell Ausserrhoden (21).
Valais benefited from relocations from the Cantons of Vaud (108), Geneva (47) and Zug (14). The Canton of Graubünden reported that their highest number of businesses moving into the canton came from Zurich (51), Ticino (45) and Zug (31).
Zurich reports the largest net outflow
The highest net outflow figures were registered by Zurich (137 businesses). However, this figure is somewhat lower than in the previous year, when 347 companies moved out of the Canton.
Other cantons reporting a high level of net outflow are Bern (-74), Geneva (-61) and Lucerne (-60).
Most of the businesses relocating out of the Canton of Zurich were moving their headquarters to Zug (322), Aargau (196) and Schwyz (191). Companies from the Canton of Bern moved to Solothurn (70), Zurich (62) and Zug (45). From the Canton of Geneva, the destinations of most businesses relocations were Vaud (148), Valais (47) and Freiburg (25).
French-speaking areas of Switzerland
In western Switzerland, the Canton of Valais reported the highest level of net inflow, at 71 businesses, followed by the Cantons of Neuchâtel (18), Freiburg (16) and Jura (5). In the Canton of Geneva, the net level of outflow (-61) was almost three times higher than in the previous year.
Ticino
Ticino reported a net inflow of 19 businesses. Most of these companies moved into Ticino from the Cantons of Zug (42), Graubünden (30) and Zurich (25).
About the survey process
We took into consideration all those companies held in the business register that relocated their head offices within Switzerland in 2022.
