You've been searching for a clerk for 3 months...
...and can't find anyone. Or the applications don't fit. Or the salary expectations exceed your budget. Welcome to the Swiss talent shortage of 2026.
Meanwhile, tasks are piling up: customer inquiries are waiting, receipts are stacking up, data needs to be reconciled. Your existing team is working at full capacity.
What if there's an alternative?
The real cost of a new position
Before we compare, let's do the honest math. A clerk in the German-speaking part of Switzerland costs more than just the gross salary:
| Cost factor | Per year |
|---|---|
| Gross salary (CHF 5,500/month) | CHF 66,000 |
| Social contributions (approx. 15%) | CHF 9,900 |
| Pension fund contributions | CHF 4,000 |
| Recruitment costs (prorated) | CHF 3,000 |
| Onboarding (3 months, 50% productivity) | CHF 16,500 |
| Workspace, IT, licenses | CHF 5,000 |
| Total in year 1 | CHF 104,400 |
| Total from year 2 | CHF 85,000 |
Add to that: vacation, sick days, turnover. An average position becomes vacant again after 2–3 years.
What AI automation costs
| Phase | Cost |
|---|---|
| Analysis | from CHF 4,500 (one-time) |
| Prototype + Implementation | from CHF 25,000 (one-time) |
| Ongoing costs | CHF 6,000–12,000/year |
| Total in year 1 | CHF 35,000–45,000 |
| Total from year 2 | CHF 6,000–12,000 |
The direct comparison
| New employee | AI automation | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost year 1 | CHF 104,400 | CHF 35,000–45,000 |
| Cost from year 2 | CHF 85,000/year | CHF 6,000–12,000/year |
| Availability | Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm | 24/7, 365 days |
| Onboarding | 3 months | 2–4 weeks |
| Scaling | New hire needed | Same cost at higher volume |
| Error rate | Human | Typically 90% fewer on standard tasks |
| Turnover | 2–3 years | None |
| Empathy | High | None |
| Flexibility | High | Only for defined tasks |
When a human is better
AI doesn't replace everything. There are tasks where humans are clearly superior:
- Customer relationships: Your key accounts need a personal contact who listens, understands, and responds flexibly.
- Creative problem-solving: When every situation is different and there's no standard solution.
- Negotiations: Price negotiations, contract design, conflict resolution – these require experience and people skills.
- Teamwork and culture: A new team member brings ideas, energy, and perspectives.
- Unstructured tasks: When processes change constantly and improvisation is needed.
The best solution: Human + AI
The truth is: it's not either-or. The best results come from SMEs that combine both:
AI handles:
- Answering standard inquiries
- Processing receipts
- Synchronizing data
- Coordinating appointments
- Creating routine reports
Your employees focus on:
- Managing important clients
- Solving complex cases
- Strategic thinking
- Growing the business
The result: your team doesn't get smaller – it gets stronger. Instead of spending all day entering receipts, your people work on what you actually hired them to do.
A realistic scenario
Accounting firm, 12 employees, Zug region:
Instead of searching for a third clerk for receipt processing (4 months with no success), the firm invests in an AI system:
- Investment: CHF 35,000 in the first year
- Result: 20 hours per week saved
- The two existing clerks can focus on more complex mandates
- Payback: after approximately 8 months
Model calculation. Every project is individual.
Conclusion
If you've been unable to fill a position for months and the tasks are primarily repetitive in nature, AI automation isn't just an alternative – it's often the better solution. Cheaper, available faster, and scalable.
But: AI doesn't replace people. It relieves them. So your team can do the work that truly counts.
Facing this decision? Let's discuss in 30 minutes what makes the most sense for your company.
