Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics - IEA

PART 2: SWITZERLAND
157
Figure 61: Switzerland, Median Gross Monthly Earnings of Females, by Age and
Occupation, 2004
9,000
Monthly Earnings (2004 Swiss francs)
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
< 20
Accounting
20–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 > 65
Age Group
Research
Programming
Teaching
In 1996, Swiss teachers, both male and female, earned salaries that were as good as
or better than the salaries of mathematics-oriented professionals. Male teachers did
somewhat less well than female teachers, but were still competitive, salary-wise, with
the other professions. By 2004, this pattern had changed. Male and female teachers had
both lost ground, particularly with reference to research and analysis/programming
professionals (Figures 60 and 61). This information suggests that recruiting high-quality
graduates into mathematics teaching is more difficult now than it was in the 1990s.
Another point of note is that changes in the Swiss salary structure were similar to the
changes that occurred in Germany across the years under consideration, and probably
came from the same source: declines in public-sector spending relative to economic
expansion, which naturally affected teacher salaries.
References
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2004a). Attracting,
developing, and retaining effective teachers. Country note: Switzerland. Paris: Author.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2004b). Education at a
glance: Education indicators 2004. Paris: Author.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2007). Education at a
glance: Education indicators 2007. Paris: Author.