Layoffs at Roche Diagnostics in Rotkreuz

The largest employer in the canton of Zug has announced layoffs at its Rotkreuz site. But how many are there? The stock market listed company is currently keeping quiet on the matter.
 

Rumours that Roche Diagnostics has announced redundancies at its headquarters in Rotkreuz have been circulating in the Zug pharmaceutical scene for weeks. The Zuger Zeitung newspaper has received corresponding information from several independent source, and there is talk that the measures at Roche Diagnostics were already announced internally at the end of May. A social plan is also said to be in place.

When asked about these rumours, the Basel-based pharmaceutical giant was initially tight-lipped, with a spokeswoman referring in general terms to the flexible use of resources and regular reviews of the business model. "In some areas, this creates new opportunities and growth, while others have to adapt.‘ Even though the total number of employees remains stable, there may be ’changes" in individual departments.

But the spokesperson finally confirmed the job cuts in Rotkreuz: ‘These are, however, adjustments within the framework of our ongoing development process.’ The listed company does not wish to disclose any further ‘internal details’.

It therefore remains unclear how many people in which areas are affected. What is certain is that the Office for Economy and Labour of the Canton of Zug (Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit) is in contact with Roche Diagnostics regarding the redundancies, as deputy head Markus Moser said when asked. He did not disclose any further information, citing official secrecy.

The headquarters of Roche Diagnostics in Rotkreuz                           Photo: Stefan Kaiser

Major investment planned on campus
At the beginning of 2024, Roche announced the elimination of more than 300 jobs worldwide, including around 100 in Switzerland. The cuts at that time affected the department responsible for planning and conducting large-scale clinical trials. In addition, temporary workers were also reportedly laid off at that time, and a hiring freeze was temporarily imposed.

Things quietened down again at Roche over the course of the year. In an interview with the NZZ newspaper in December 2024, Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker denied that Roche was facing job cuts. ‘The number of employees is constant to slightly increasing,’ he said.

Roche is by far the largest employer in the canton of Zug and ranks fifth in the whole of Central Switzerland. Around 2,800 people work at Roche Diagnostics in Rotkreuz, where, among other things, equipment for analysing blood, urine and tissue is manufactured. Roche has more than quadrupled its workforce at its Zug site over the past twenty years, and there are currently 18 jobs advertised for Rotkreuz on the Roche website (https://careers.roche.com/global/en/search-results?keywords=Rotkreuz).

Just last October, Roche celebrated the laying of the foundation stone for a new production building on its campus in Rotkreuz, and a total of CHF 215 million is being invested in the development of the site.