Our workforce

Global reach, local expertise.

With more than 115,000 employees working in 52 countries and representing 166 nationalities, we have the global presence, experience and range of business activities to have real impact on a global scale.

Our workforce in a nutshell1

Key workforce statistics 2022

1 Calculated as of 31 December 2023 based on a head-count basis of 115,038 internal employees only (112,842 FTE). The number of external staff as of 31 December 2023 was 25,619 (workforce count).

This infographic shows that we have 115,038 employees by headcount. 41% of our workforce is female, and 59% is male. 18% are under age 30, 61% are age 30-50 and 21% are over age 50. Our workforce is located 32% in Switzerland, 23% in the Americas, 24% in Asia Pacific and 20% in EMEA. Our employees come from 52 countries and 166 nationalities, they speak 171 languages and have 8.5 years of service, on average. All data was calculated as of 31 December 2023 on a head-count basis of 115,038 internal employees only (112,842 FTE). The number of external staff as of 31 December 2023 was 25,619 (workforce count).

Want to know more?

Our 2023 Sustainability Report details workforce composition, people management priorities and relevant processes, and a supplement to that report contains additional workforce data. Have a look at the “People and culture make the difference” chapter and “Workforce by the numbers” in the supplement, found on ubs.com/sustainability-reporting.

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Unlocking potential

lady looking at a city skyline

We invest in our employees’ development and seek to help them grow their skills and their careers. A key part of our talent management strategy is to offer career opportunities, not just jobs. Why?

  • Employees with forward-looking, agile mindsets drive better client service and satisfaction.
  • Internal role changes help people develop new skills and build relationships across teams, locations and businesses.

We actively support career development for everyone at UBS and aim to create a culture of cross-divisional and international mobility for early-career talent, mid-career professionals and senior leaders. Check out our careers and awards sites to see how we measure up in business, and as an employer.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a vital part of delivering the greatest possible impact for our stakeholders – both external (clients, communities and society, and suppliers) and internal (our employees).

Within the firm, we aim to build a culture of belonging, where employees from all backgrounds and identities can feel recognized and valued, and where everyone can unlock their full potential. Our employee DE&I strategy is built on four pillars: how we hold ourselves accountable, how we hire, how we develop our talent, and how we build a culture of belonging. We leverage all four pillars as we move toward achieving our ambitious gender and ethnic diversity aspirations, disability integration, and creating an inclusive culture for all.

2025 aspirational goals

UBS’s gender and ethnic diversity aspirations

1 FA/CA population refers to UBS Group excluding Credit Suisse

This infographic describes our 2025 gender and ethnic minority aspirations. We want to have 30% women globally in Director and above roles, (versus 29.5% in 2023), 26% ethnic minorities in the UK (versus 24.3% in 2023), 4% Black in the UK (versus 2.1% in 2023), and 26% racial or ethnic minorities in the US (versus 25.1% in 2023). For financial advisors/client advisors: 25% women in the Americas (versus 16.8% in 2023) and 18.8% racial or ethnic minorities in the US (versus 12.2% in 2023). Note: the financial advisor/client advisor population refers to UBS Group excluding Credit Suisse.

Ensuring employees have a voice

Our employees want to be heard, and they’re actively involved in shaping our culture and daily work life. We provide opportunities throughout the year to give feedback and to connect with management on topics ranging from strategy and engagement to well-being and work environment. One such survey, conducted in November 2023, showed high levels of psychological safety, respect, collaboration and empowerment. In particular:

  • 87% of respondents reported experiencing a professional and respectful work environment
  • 83% reported that their function collaborates well with different areas
  • 77% of respondents felt empowered to make decisions
  • 86% felt able to speak up and raise concerns

We use input like this to strengthen our culture and our people-management processes, and to focus on topics that matter to employees.

Key 2022 employee survey results

Fast fact

“We want employees to be able to build long and satisfying careers here, and managers are expected to support both individual development and job mobility. In 2023, we filled many of our roles with internal candidates1 – 38.8% of all hires, 40.5% of all female hires, 30.9% of UK ethnic minority hires and 31.4% of US ethnic minority hires.”

Focusing on impact and outcomes

We’re proud of our high-performance culture and have made sure our performance management approach supports it. Our objective-setting process, for example, aligns employees with the firm’s priorities, and we assess both performance and behavior, because what an employee accomplishes and how they accomplish it are both important. We ran a combined fully integrated performance management approach for year-end 2023 – a significant success that accelerates our cultural integration.

Aligned to performance, our pay practices are designed to ensure that employees are appropriately rewarded for their contribution, and we regularly conduct internal reviews and external audits as quality checks. We aim to ensure all employees are paid at least a living wage and regularly assess salaries against local living wages. See the compensation section of the 2023 Annual(PDF, 1 MB) Report for more information.

cup and saucer with tea

1 Internal candidates refers only to UBS and Credit Suisse employees moving internally. Credit Suisse employees moving to UBS are not considered to be internal mobility but rather external hires.

See the UBS Sustainability Report 2023(PDF, 4 MB) (PDF) for more information about our workplace and benefits like parental leave, and UBS Careers for more about life at UBS.