Staff

On-site inspections FINMA as an authority

FINMA is committed to a sustainable personnel policy with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness, transparency and a long-term approach. 2025 saw FINMA expand its capacities, in particular with a view to carrying out more of its own on-site inspections and in-depth risk analysis.

FINMA employs experts from various disciplines. They are the most important factor in effective and future-oriented financial market supervision. Through their commitment and professionalism, they help ensure that FINMA’s legal mandate to protect customers and to ensure the proper functioning of the financial markets is fulfilled effectively. In 2025, FINMA particularly focused on the targeted expansion of its capacities and active talent management, with the aim of further increasing its supervisory effectiveness in line with its mandate.

Key personnel indicators and workforce expansion

FINMA’s personnel policy combines economic efficiency with a clear commitment to transparency, equal opportunities and individual growth and development. FINMA cultivates a working environment in which dedication, collaboration and continuous learning are promoted and practised. This gives rise to motivated and professional teams – and to a workplace that sets itself apart through shared values and a high level of satisfaction.

Intensified and forward-looking supervision requires more staff

In 2025, FINMA also reinforced its intensified and forward-looking supervision of the financial market in certain instances, which led to an increase in staff resources. The additional staff requirements extended over several specialist units and cross-divisional functions.

At the beginning of 2025, FINMA increased its headcount limit by 121.1 permanent FTEs to 734.7 (2024: 613.6). By the end of the year under review, the majority of these additional roles had been filled. FINMA had an average of 698 FTEs in permanent and temporary employment in 2025 (2024: 634). Around 27% of employees worked part-time, i.e. less than 90% (2024: 26%).

Further increase in headcount

The headcount limit was increased in order to effectively drive forward key transformation projects within the organisation, particularly by allowing more intensive and effective supervision to be achieved in the areas of banking, insurance and asset management. Among other things, capacities were increased to enable more on-site inspections to be carried out. In addition, positions were filled in the 2025 financial year that had been approved as part of the measures following the CS crisis.

As part of its personnel strategy, FINMA aims for a medium-term average staff turnover rate of 6% to 10%. This rate is intentionally higher than in the Federal Administration as a whole and in public administration, as it guarantees the targeted inflow of up-to-date knowledge and expertise from the financial sector, as well as new ways of working. At the same time, this offers existing employees new opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and explore new challenges within FINMA.

Staff turnover within the target range

At 6.8% (2024: 6.1%), staff turnover in 2025 was within the defined target range. In addition, 0.1% (2024: 0.8%) of the workforce retired, and 52% (2024: 49%) of vacant senior specialist and management positions were filled internally. In many cases, talent management and succession planning allowed positions to be filled internally by candidates from different departments and divisions. To promote knowledge sharing, there were also two internal secondments and four secondments outside of FINMA. 

Staff turnover at 6.8%, ordinary retirements at 0.1%

Proportion of women in the workforce unchanged at 43.1%

FINMA also has ambitious targets regarding gender diversity. In 2025, 29.1% (2024: 29.5%) of all management positions were held by women, and women accounted for 43.1% of the workforce, the same as in the previous year. FINMA is committed to ensuring a sustainable gender balance at all levels of management. The new roles created in 2025 were heavily geared towards technical and scientific profiles, which traditionally have a low proportion of women. This, in combination with the current labour market situation, and skills shortage, means that meeting the gender diversity targets by 2026 remains a challenge.

The proportion of woman in management declined by 0.4 percentage points

Dealing with change

FINMA’s reorganisation also involved changes for employees. To support the change process, FINMA launched measures to build change capability among staff and managers, to support entire teams and to enable active participation in the change process. The measures comprised:

  • Workshops for employees and managers on handling change as well as team development workshops
  • Various session formats for employees and managers to explore in depth and reflect during the reorganisation
  • Opportunity to get involved as change ambassadors and in project workstreams
  • FINMA-wide pulse surveys

FINMA-wide pulse survey on transformation

More than half of the workforce took part in the three FINMA-wide pulse surveys. The results of surveys conducted at longer intervals and in anonymised form, as well as the many open-ended comments, provided managers with valuable input on areas where optimisation is needed. A key aspect for employee well-being was job satisfaction, with 87 in 100 staff members agreeing with the statement “All things considered, I would say that this is a very good place to work.” The overall employee satisfaction level at FINMA is once again above the benchmark in the Best Large Workplaces Switzerland 2025. Thanks to the pulse surveys, improvements were implemented. For example, input from staff at the FINMA management day was incorporated into the development of a leadership approach and leadership culture.