The revision of 2026

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The amendment of the Languages Ordinance adopted in October 2025 raised the target range for Italian speakers from 6.5–8.5 per cent to 7.5–8.5 per cent from 1 January 2026. The range for French speakers was raised to 22.5–24.5 per cent and that for German speakers lowered to 66.5–68.5 per cent, while the Romansh range remained at 0.5–1.0 per cent.¹ With an actual share of 7.0 per cent, the administration now falls below the lower limit of the new range for Italian. The revision therefore converts a situation of formal compliance into one of measurable shortfall. The departments will have to recruit Italian speakers more actively if they want to reach the target, and the reports of the Delegate for Plurilingualism will record whether they do.

Year Italian speakers, whole Italian speakers, Target range for administration salary classes 34–38 Italian 2014 6.9 % 4.8 % 6.5–8.5 % 2018 6.6 % 5.7 % 6.5–8.5 % 2024 7.0 % n/a 6.5–8.5 % 2026 – – 7.5–8.5 %

Sources: Federal Council answer of 14 August 2019, personnel management report 2024 and Languages Ordinance as amended in 2025 (above).

Common misconception. It is often assumed that the official status of Italian means that the federal administration works in three languages. The Languages Act gives federal staff the right to work in German, French or Italian, but the evaluation of 2020 found Italian to be practically absent as an internal working language, and Italian speakers held well under the target share of senior positions. Italian is fully present in the outputs of the Confederation, its laws, decisions and publications. In the internal production of policy it remains a minority language that depends on translation.

Notes

Federal Delegate for Plurilingualism, Il plurilinguismo in Svizzera in breve (above); RSI, 29 October 2025 (above). ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.

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The revision of 2026

Notes

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