2026 brings Swiss companies to the breaking point
With the generational change, many baby boomers will retire in 2026, leaving a noticeable gap in urgently needed expertise. Many companies are already responding with higher wages in order to retain qualified employees or attract new talent. At the same time, further challenges are emerging for the Swiss economy. What does this mean for companies - and for the consulting industry?
Swiss companies will face numerous challenges in 2026: Members of the baby boomer generation up to 1964 will retire in the coming year, leaving noticeable gaps in central functions. At the same time, the strong franc is weighing on export companies. They often have to decide whether to raise prices abroad, with the risk of losing market share, or whether to settle for lower margins. Added to this are the consequences of the US punitive tariffs, which not only make Swiss exports to the United States more expensive, but also make operational processes more difficult. Patrick Sommer, Managing Director at CNT Management Consulting, knows from his practical experience what Swiss companies are currently struggling with: «The tariffs are causing a bureaucratic nightmare - companies have to provide complete proof of where every single screw comes from,» he explains. «The additional costs must either be compensated for by price increases or by sacrificing margins. At the same time, there is political pressure to check whether relocating production to the USA is more economically attractive in the long term than remaining in Switzerland.» He sees many companies in a difficult balancing act: «On the one hand, companies must plan their human resources prudently and take into account the impending wave of retirements and export issues, but on the other hand they must not lose touch with technology. This means integrating digital solutions into existing systems, investing in AI and providing employees with targeted training.»
Bureaucracy limits room for maneuver - especially for SMEs
Political decisions such as the latest US punitive tariffs are increasing uncertainty for Swiss companies: They make long-term planning more difficult, force ongoing cost adjustments and thus represent a business risk. Despite the increasing pressure to modernize, many companies lack the funds for urgently needed digitalization and automation projects. «Although most companies are aware that digital innovation would strengthen their competitiveness, high wage costs, extensive sustainability investments and the tense economic situation often stand in the way of such projects,» says the expert from CNT Management Consulting. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular find themselves in an additional stress situation. The increasing ESG and sustainability requirements demand data from them that large corporations require today - including carbon footprints of products, certificates of origin or information on supply chain loyalty. «Many SMEs do not have this information or have to spend a lot of time gathering it manually. This ties up staff, who are in short supply anyway, and costs valuable time in day-to-day business,» says Sommer.
AI «not a gimmick»: why it must provide real relief today
In view of rising costs, scarce personnel resources and increasing reporting obligations, digitalization will become more of a focus in 2026. For many companies, the focus is on how to achieve more output with fewer staff. In this context, AI has become a key prerequisite for business success. However, Sommer calls for a targeted approach: «AI is not a gimmick, but a tool that can provide measurable relief in times of a shortage of skilled workers.» It is therefore crucial to create concrete applications. Process mining - with SAP Signavio, for example. This makes bottlenecks visible, while integrated digital processes reduce waiting times and sources of error. The prerequisites for this are streamlined processes and reliable data, because a bad process remains bad even when automated.
Three relevant consulting industry trends in the new year
CNT expert Sommer identifies three key trends for his own area, consulting with a focus on digital transformation in companies. Firstly, when implementing AI, the focus must be on «hard ROI»: «What is needed is not abstract strategies, but the measurable, operational implementation of AI that promises a clear, short-term return on investment,» says Sommer. Secondly, consulting firms that do not rely on AI risk quickly losing competitiveness. And thirdly, Sommer believes that S/4HANA Cloud must make the business case: «The ongoing SAP transformations must prove that they are actually streamlining processes and not just modernizing IT,» Sommer concludes.
Source and further information: CNT Management Consulting
