Société des employés de commerce

Name

Société des employés de commerce

Legal name

Société suisse des employés de commerce

Website

https://secsuisse.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association and Trade Union Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Compliance & Employment Law Risk Management (Local Labor Law, Tax, Statutory) (BPACAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Resources & Talent (SHRM/HRCI Recertification) (EDAAALAN)

Keywords

• Vocational training association
• Commercial apprenticeships
• Collective labor agreements
• Professional union services
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Members pay annual fees to the association through regional sections. The association is organized into sections (Deux Bâle, Berne-Soleure-Argovie, Lucerne, Suisse orientale, Zurich, Suisse romande, Tessin) that manage membership.
2. Training and mediation services: Fees for seminars, training events, and mediation services offered by the association. Prices are inclusive of VAT and billed in Swiss francs with 30-day payment terms.
3. Publications and brochures: Since June 24, 2024, brochures and information sheets are available for free download. Previously, these were paid products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Société suisse des employés de commerce is a Swiss professional association that represents commercial employees and supports commercial apprenticeships (CFC and AFP) and retail professions (Gestionnaire/Assistant-e du commerce de détail). It provides apprenticeship guidance, publishes annual salary recommendations, administers qualification procedures (PQual), offers professional advice, mediation, and continuing education, and represents employees in collective labor agreements (CCT) and social partnership discussions across Switzerland.

Product overview

The Société suisse des employés de commerce operates as a Swiss commercial employees' association functioning as a competence center for commerce training and employment. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio of services structured around three main pillars: (1) Core membership services including apprenticeship guidance for multiple pathways (commercial employee CFC/AFP, retail management CFC/AFP), annual salary recommendations, free downloadable brochures and information sheets, professional advice, events/seminars, member discounts, student loans, and support funds; (2) Enterprise services for businesses including employee representation, mediation, social partnership facilitation, SME tools, and Navital offerings; and (3) Specialized subgroups like the WBP group for apprenticeship trainers. The association also administers PQual (qualification procedures) for commercial apprenticeships and publishes note calculators for exam preparation. No software product or API is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Apprenticeship Programs (CFC and AFP) Three-year CFC and two-year AFP commercial apprenticeship tracks covering 19 training sectors with specializations in finance, national language communication, foreign language communication, and technology; designed for individuals pursuing commercial careers in Switzerland.
• Retail Apprenticeship Programs (CFC and AFP) Three-year Gestionnaire du commerce de détail CFC and two-year Assistant-e du commerce de détail AFP programs providing practice-oriented entry into retail and progression pathways to CFC qualification; designed for individuals pursuing retail careers in Switzerland.
• Annual Salary Recommendations Annual salary recommendations published by the association as a social partner, covering commercial and retail apprentices and employees with specific rates by training year, serving as a reference for apprenticeship contracts.
• PQual Administration Administration of qualification procedures (final examinations) for commercial apprenticeships, organizing exam series and procedures for both pre-2022 and post-2023 training cohorts.
• Professional Advice and Consulting Advisory services for members on professional matters including employment conditions, salary negotiation, and career development, delivered through regional sections.
• Events and Seminars Professional development events and seminars organized for members, with reduced fees for WBP specialized group participants; registration handled via Eventfrog.
• Employee Representation Services Support for enterprises on employee representation and works councils, provided through the Partenariat social and Représentation du personnel offerings.
• Mediation Services Mediation services offered through regional sections to resolve workplace conflicts between employers and employees, priced as a fee-based service with cancellation possible up to 4 weeks before start.
• SME Toolbox (Toolbox PME) Resources and tools specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting their engagement with commercial training and labor relations.
• Navital Enterprise service offering for training companies under the section offerings, supporting training organizations participating in commercial apprenticeships.
• WBP Specialized Group Specialized group (Wir Berufs- und Praxisbildner:innen) offering targeted practical support for commercial apprenticeship trainers and professionals, with German-language events across German-speaking Switzerland.
• Brochures and Information Sheets Free downloadable publications covering apprenticeship guides, salary recommendations, contract templates, and practical advice for young professionals; available at no cost since June 24, 2024.
• Student Loans Financial support in the form of study loans offered to eligible members pursuing further education.
• Support Funds Financial assistance funds available to members in need, providing hardship support through the association's member benefit program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual salary recommendations published for commerce and retail sectors, influencing thousands of employment contracts

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• FOCOS (Formation Commerciale Suisse)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023FOCOS is the responsible body for the apprenticeship ordinance and training plan for commercial employees CFC. SEC/Suisse works with FOCOS on the reform of initial commercial training. The partnership began reforms in 2018 with all stakeholders including 19 training sectors, vocational schools, cantons, and the Confederation.
• CIFC Suisse (formerly igkg.ch)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIFC Suisse is the professional training association for the AFP commercial employee initial training. They are responsible for the 2-year AFP commercial training reform and work with SEC/Suisse on vocational training matters.
• HWZ AG (Zurich University of Business Administration)minorOthersPart of the group structure of the association. HWZ is a business school providing higher education.
• SIB AGminorOthersPart of the association's group structure.
• SIZ AGminorOthersPart of the association's group structure.
• kv edupool AGminorOthersEducational pool platform for commercial vocational training in Switzerland.
• EventfrogminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent registration platform used for wbp specialized group events and seminars. Registrations are processed through Eventfrog and are final.
• la plateforme (Political Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEC/Suisse is part of 'la plateforme', a political alliance advocating for work flexibility, home office regulations, and employee protections in the context of digitalization and New Work trends.
• Promotion Santé Suisse (Health Promotion Switzerland)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation encouraging measures for employee health protection. SEC/Suisse participates through initiatives like the 'Friendly Work Space' label that rewards companies committed to employee health.
• SwissSkillsmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational vocational skills competitions in which SEC/Suisse participates to promote commercial professions.
• Vocational school conferencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree vocational school conferences work with FOCOS and SEC/Suisse on commercial training reforms and standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Travail.Suisse: Swiss employees' confederation representing employees across multiple sectors with advocacy, collective bargaining, and policy influence functions highly comparable to SEC/Suisse's role for commercial employees specifically.
• Syna: Swiss trade union representing workers across service, industrial, and commercial sectors with comparable collective bargaining, training support, and member advocacy services in the Swiss labor market.
• Unia: Largest Swiss trade union providing collective bargaining, vocational training advocacy, and member services across multiple industries, with comparable operational scale and Swiss-wide regional structure to SEC/Suisse.
• VPOD (Verein Personal öffentlicher Dienste): Swiss public services union offering collective bargaining, professional training, and member advocacy for public sector employees, structurally similar to SEC/Suisse's model for commercial employees.

Broad incumbents

• SGB / USS (Schweizerischer Gewerkschaftsbund): Umbrella federation of Swiss trade unions that coordinates collective bargaining and policy advocacy across the Swiss labor movement, broader in scope but operating as the institutional counterparty to SEC/Suisse's specific commercial-employee focus.
• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): UK professional body for HR and people development offering training, qualifications, advisory content, and policy advocacy; comparable to SEC/Suisse's continuing education, advisory, and policy function but for HR professionals rather than commercial employees.

Others

• Schweizerischer Arbeitgeberverband: Swiss employers' association that is the structural counterpart to SEC/Suisse in social partnership negotiations, providing the demand-side perspective on collective labor agreements and vocational training governance.
• economiesuisse: Federation of Swiss business and industry shaping labor and education policy at the national level; participates in social partnership negotiations where SEC/Suisse represents the employee side on commercial-sector matters.

Regional players

• Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB): German trade union confederation covering collective bargaining, vocational training advocacy, and member services across all major sectors — closely parallel to SEC/Suisse's role but operating in the German labor market.
• Trades Union Congress (TUC): UK trade union federation coordinating collective bargaining, training policy, and worker advocacy; comparable in institutional function to SEC/Suisse but serving the United Kingdom market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC
• Facebookfacebook.com/secsuisse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-suisse-des-employes-de-commerce
• Instagraminstagram.com/secsuisse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Société des employés de commerce