Personnel Figures

In the reporting year, the Migros Group increased its workforce by a total of 2.47% to 102'851 employees. About two thirds are employed in Cooperative Retailing.

Workforce & Staff Movement

This increase is due partly to the expansion of the online business and the leisure/fitness business. The workforce abroad increased due to the growth of Tegut, among other things.

Consolidated employment growth amounted to 12.8%, despite a partly unpleasant economic environment.

Cooperative Retailing is very important to the Migros Group. It employed about two thirds of all staff in 2016. The workforce was up again on the previous year.

The net fluctuation rate (voluntary staff departures) of 5.5% is slightly up on the previous year's figure.

The average hiring rate is higher than the average gross fluctuation rate over the past five years. This is due to growth and acquisitions.

In 2016, the Migros Group employed 63'054 women and 39'797 men. The proportion of female employees was therefore 61.3%. The average for the Swiss economy is significantly lower (45.5%). In the three Strategic Business Units Cooperative Retailing, Commerce and Travel, the proportion of women stands at between 63.4% and 74.0%, while the percentage in the industry stands at 34.4%.

51.1% of employees in the Migros Group work full time and 48.9% part time. The number of part-time positions rose by 0.7%. On the Swiss labour market as a whole, 36.1% work part time. This high percentage of part-time workers is due to attractive working models, but is also typical in retail.

At 42.6%, the proportion of female full-time employees within the Migros Group is very high in comparison to Switzerland as a whole (30.6%). The proportion of women working part time within the Migros Group (81.2%) is also higher than the figure for the Swiss labour market (75.0%).

About 64.6% of women employed within the Migros companies work part time. For men, the part-time employment rate across all age groups is 23.9%.

Migros has a balanced age structure across all employed age groups, from trainees through to those approaching retirement. The average age of the workforce is 39.4 years.

The proportion of male and female employees per age group is generally balanced. When considering the age distribution among men and women, the proportion of women in the 15-40 age group is higher than for men.

55.3% of men and 52.9% of women have worked at Migros for more than five years, with men staying slightly longer than women on average (10.5 years and 9.3 years, respectively). These values put Migros above the Swiss average of 53.2% of employees with five or more years of service.

The proportion of women in the workforce across all length of service categories is above average in comparison to men.

In the reporting year, 71.3% of Migros' workforce consisted of Swiss nationals, and 28.7% of foreign nationals. People from 155 nations were employed within the Migros Group in 2016. Migros sees this cultural diversity as an opportunity and therefore consciously promotes it with a tolerant and discrimination-free corporate climate.

15.0% of the 102'581 employees work abroad. The proportion was slightly up on the previous year.

Staff Expenditure & Value Added

Personnel costs

Real wages at Migros rose by an average of 0.8% as of 1 January 2016. Migros increased its nominal wages by 4.0% and its real wages by 6.4% between 2012 and 2016. Wages in the Swiss private sector rose at a slower rate during this period.

Employees play an important part in the contribution that Migros makes to the economic value added in Switzerland. As a result, they also make up a major proportion of the social value added. In 2016, Migros spent about 76.9% of its net value added on its employees.

Wage equality

The employee management, development and remuneration system (M-FEE) used in most Migros companies implements the principle of "equal wages for equal roles, performance and experience" in practice on a consistent basis. The tool has a gender-neutral design. The principle not only promotes equal wages for women and men, but also applies in general within Migros. The company ensures role, performance and distribution equality for wages and wage adjustments, as the basis of a transparent, clear and fair wage policy.

Employee pension plans

The Migros Pension Fund (MPF) organises the occupational pensions for its members in 43 associated companies of the Migros Group on a final salary basis. The Pension Fund looks after some 52'400 active members and 28'500 pensioners.

The MPF provides excellent pension benefits: for a full term of cover, the target benefit is 70.2% of the insured salary at the normal retirement age of 64 for men and women. For over-25s, the employer contribution is 17.0% of the insured salary, and the employee contribution 8.5%. Migros covers two thirds of the contributions and is therefore well above the Swiss average.

The MPF also offers policyholders attractive purchasing options to improve their pension benefits and various options in the event of retirement, such as early retirement from the age of 58, semi-retirement variants (by agreement with the employer, retirement can be delayed beyond the age of 64) and unrestricted lump-sum withdrawal options in place of a pension.

Despite the challenging market conditions, the MPF generated a comparatively good net return of 5.3% on its capital investments of CHF 22.2 billion. The coverage ratio fell from 120.5% at the end of 2015 to 111.5% at the end of 2016, as the liabilities are valued with a more prudent technical interest rate of 2.0% (previous year: 2.5%).

Supplementary benefits

Migros underlines its position as an attractive employer in Swiss retail with attractive supplementary benefits. The companies of the Migros Group grant their employees numerous discounts and favourable terms on many different products and services.

Migros finances a generous life insurance policy, which in the event of an employee's death pays the surviving family members a capital sum of up to three years' salary. This benefit is available to both unmarried couples and same-sex couples.