Relevance of the Public and Nonprofit Sectors in Switzerland: Structure and Development Analyses

This report examines the structural relevance and developmental dynamics of the public and nonprofit (PNP) sectors in Switzerland between 2013 and 2023. A central message of the report is that claims regarding sector size and development heavily depend on the chosen definitions and measurements. As sector boundaries become increasingly permeable, traditional statistical categories often fail to cap-ture the full scope of public and civic value creation. The analysis addresses four central research areas: the conceptual boundaries and definitions of the sectors; empirical trends in employment and economic contribution; workforce characteristics across sectors; and the governance challenges arising from hybrid organizational forms.