76,000 apprenticeship contracts: why a stable market isn't enough
Around 76,000 apprenticeship contracts were signed by the end of August. That is stable — but it does not yet show whether young people, companies and occupational fields are finding each other in the right place.
The Swiss apprenticeship market looks stable in late summer 2026. According to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI), around 76,000 apprenticeship contracts had been signed by the end of August. The figure is in line with previous years. It is an important signal, but not yet a complete picture of how well young people and companies have found each other.
For such a picture, the results of the August survey of the Nahtstellenbarometer (transition barometer) are still missing. According to SBFI, they will be published at the end of October. Only then can it be assessed more precisely how many young people found their preferred option, how many switched to interim solutions, and where apprenticeship places remained unfilled.
Stability starts well before the summer
The trend became apparent over the course of the year. At the end of January around 28,000 contracts had been signed, at the end of March just under 42,000 and at the end of May more than 54,500. At the same time, around 14,000 places were still advertised in the official apprenticeship vacancy register at the end of May. The figures show a market that fills up step by step and stays in motion well into the summer.
The representative spring survey also produced a stable picture. Companies offered an extrapolated total of around 74,000 apprenticeship places for 2026; 68 percent of these had already been filled in March and April. Of the roughly 98,000 young people facing the choice of training, 63 percent considered vocational education and training. Among those interested in an apprenticeship, 62 percent had already signed a contract, and a further 11 percent had a verbal commitment.
The various figures cannot be offset directly against each other. They come from different surveys and points in time. This is precisely why the figure of 76,000 contracts alone says nothing about a possible oversupply or a shortage.
The total conceals differences
A nationwide figure says little about which occupations lack applications or in which young people fail to find a suitable place. According to the spring barometer, demand was particularly high in health and social care, in agriculture and forestry, and in the information and communication sector. Other occupational fields may struggle at the same time to fill their places.
There are also regional differences. In German-speaking Switzerland, placements traditionally begin earlier than in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The structure of the economy also shapes supply: tourist regions, industrial locations and urban service centres require different profiles. For young people, it is therefore not only a question of whether an apprenticeship place is free somewhere. Career aspirations, school qualifications, language and reasonable travel distances all play a part.
The match matters more than the rate
The Nahtstellenbarometer also shows what companies look for. In spring, 74 percent named motivation as particularly important, and 62 percent the willingness to learn. Schools, career guidance, trial apprenticeships and support from families or mentoring programmes therefore influence whether a statistically vacant place becomes a viable training position.
For the economy, every apprenticeship contract means an investment in supervision, infrastructure and time. 72 percent of the training companies surveyed wanted to offer the same number of apprenticeship places in 2026 as in the previous year; 10 percent each planned an increase or a reduction. This consistency supports the market. But it does not guarantee that supply and interests match in every occupation.
WorldSkills shows the top, not the average
From 22 to 27 September, around 1,400 young professionals from all over the world will compete at WorldSkills in Shanghai. Switzerland is sending 42 participants in 38 disciplines. The competition highlights the performance of individual talents and underlines the importance of dual vocational education.
For assessing the apprenticeship market, however, it remains a shop window. What matters is whether young people without a competition career also find a suitable entry point, complete their apprenticeship successfully and later gain opportunities to develop.
The 76,000 contracts are therefore a solid interim result. The more telling question is how good the match behind that figure is. Only the detailed August evaluation at the end of October can give a well-founded answer.
