Salary by experience
View as table
| Experience | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 0-2 yrs | CHF 65'000 |
| 3-5 yrs | CHF 72'689 |
| 6-8 yrs | CHF 78'112 |
| 9-11 yrs | CHF 75'225 |
| 12-21 yrs | CHF 89'843 |
| 21+ yrs | CHF 90'500 |
Top HR
Swiss professionsCulture & Media
Archivar/in
You collect, preserve, and make historical documents accessible for research and the public.
01 · Overview
What this profession is about
Archivar/in preserve documents, make them systematically accessible, and advise researchers and the public.
You preserve cultural memory and make history tangible. As Archivar/in, you review files, minutes, and digital media. You organize the material systematically, protect it from decay, and prepare it for research. You combine historical curiosity with precise work and modern archive technology.
FieldCulture & Media
Education pathHigher Education Profession
IndustryInformation & Documentation
Swissdoc 0.811.9.3
02 · Salary
What you can earn
✓ Exact salary match
Salaries reflect Swiss market data. Range covers entry to senior. Salary reference based on Archivist. Based on 131 observations, updated 7 months ago.
Salary trend
+11% over decadeView as table
| Period | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 2014-2016 | CHF 70'000 |
| 2017-2019 | CHF 73'622 |
| 2020-2022 | CHF 65'100 |
| 2023-2025 | CHF 77'578 |
Top earning cantons
View as table
| Canton | Salary | Obs. |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich | CHF 81'000 | 24 |
| Geneva | CHF 75'600 | 15 |
| Berne | CHF 72'517 | 12 |
| Vaud | CHF 64'782 | 14 |
Top paying industries
View as table
| Industry | Salary | Obs. |
|---|---|---|
| Public administration / Associations | CHF 80'625 | 40 |
| Banking / Financial institutions | CHF 76'400 | 8 |
| Service sector in general | CHF 75'600 | 15 |
| Chemicals / Pharmaceuticals | CHF 70'875 | 8 |
| Building trade / Real estate | CHF 65'000 | 7 |
| Health care / Social services | CHF 58'158 | 14 |
03 · Pathway
How to enter and grow
Swiss training pathway available in the full profile
- 🎓 Archivare/-innen mit Hochschulabschluss
Official education path
Entry usually requires a university master's degree or a further higher education certificate.
Typical training path
Archivare/-innen mit Hochschulabschluss
Prerequisites
- Broad
- Interest and sense for history regarding
- Various topics
- Carefulness and material knowledge, exactness, if necessary
- Manual dexterity, sense for connections, order and links
- High communication and writing skills for mediation work
- Depending on the position
- Broad language skills
Requirements
- Broad interest and sense for history regarding various topics
- Carefulness and material knowledge
- Exactness
- Manual dexterity (if necessary)
- Sense for connections, order and links
- Broad language skills (depending on the position)
Where this can lead
Career changers are rare, as specialist knowledge is usually taught academically. However, some positions accept relevant professional experience.
04 · Skills & fit
What it takes
Required skills
- Historical interest
- Carefulness and accuracy
- Good communication
- Strong sense of order
Personality fit
- Swiss career path
- Career transition
- Professional growth
05 · Daily reality
What the work feels like
Typical day
You stand at your workstation and carefully check old contracts for preservation value. Then you file the documents according to strict rules and prepare them for the next request.
- You collect and preserve files, minutes, and digital media.
- You organize archive materials according to strict scientific principles.
- You protect valuable documents from decay and damage.
- You curate historical exhibitions and organize informative professional lectures.
- You advise researchers intensively during their academic research.
- You create detailed finding aids for public use.
Working conditions
You work in state and city archives, specialized archives, or with private organizations. Your workplace is often a climate-controlled reading room or a secure storage area.
Strengths
- Historical interest
- Carefulness and accuracy
- Good communication
- Strong sense of order
Trade-offs
- Strict guidelines
- Climate-controlled rooms
- Slow processes
- High responsibility
06 · Similar
