The Size and Structure of the Swiss Occupational Therapy Workforce

This project took place from November 2018 to January 2024. The survey itself was conducted between October 2021 and April 2022.

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In order to plan and implement effective measures to counter staff shortages among OTs in Switzerland, empirical data on the size and structure of the Swiss occupational therapy workforce are an important basis. The Foundation for Occupational Therapy (Stiftung für Ergotherapie) has funded a research study to look into these matters, involving all three Swiss universities that provide bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in occupational therapy (ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, and SUPSI University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland) as well as the EVS/ASE. The aim of this study was to collect data on the size and the structure of the Swiss occupational therapy workforce in terms of sociodemographic make-up, geographic distribution, and fields of practice. A secondary aim was to examine which characteristics (e.g., size, mean age, mean educational status) of OT teams influence their turnover rates. The explicit main research questions were as follows: • What is the sociodemographic make-up of the Swiss OT workforce in terms of age, gender, and level of education? • What is the structure of the Swiss OT workforce in terms of independent practice and institutions, geographical distribution (i.e., rate of OTs per 10’000 inhabitants), fields of practice, and percentage of employment? • How many Swiss OT positions are unfilled, what is the mean turnover rate, and what characteristics of a team (gender composition, mean age, mean level of employment, setting, size of the team, mean percentage of employment) influence this turnover rate? • Is the current situation regarding continuing education opportunities for OTs seen as sufficient?

In total, data were collected from 968 respondents, covering 3'022 Swiss occupational therapists. The response rate was 73.6% for medical institutions and 58.2% for outpatient practices. In terms of gender distribution, men only make up 9.7% of the Swiss occupational therapy workforce, with women making up 90.1%, while 0.2% do not identify with either gender. The percentage of men is higher in management positions (15.5%). Swiss occupational therapists most often work with clients who have difficulties in connection with injuries or illnesses of the upper limbs, neurological illnesses or injuries, and mental health. The ratio of occupational therapists per 10’000 inhabitants in Switzerland is at least 3.2, with an estimated real ratio of 4.3 – 5.5. Swiss occupational therapy provision is least dense in Central Switzerland. The average reported turnover rate among occupational therapy teams was calculated as 20.0 (SD=27.9). The low percentage of men working as occupational therapists (9.1%) is more pronounced than in other health professions in Switzerland, like nursing and physiotherapy It is also more pronounced than the percentage of men working as occupational therapists in the countries bordering Switzerland. While Swiss occupational therapists have a similar percentage of practitioners with a Bachelor’s degree or higher than physiotherapists, the percentage of physiotherapists with an Master’s degree is more than twice as high than among occupational therapists. Occupational therapy provision in Switzerland is denser than in Italy or France, similar to Austria, and less dense than Germany. It also differs by region and area of practice. In conclusion, the results illustrate the persistent lack of gender diversity in the profession, and a rate of practitioners with a Master’s degree or higher that is still low compared to similar professions. They also show some differences in occupational therapy provision in terms of geography and area of practice. We have examined these issues further in a series of articles.