Salary adjustments for doctoral students and scientific assistants I at ETH Zurich

At the end of last year, it was unclear if doctoral students at ETH Zurich would receive a cost-of-living adjustment, as ETH’s other employees have, in the new year. By way of background, these salaries are based on the external pageSwiss National Science Foundation SNSFcall_made – but at that time, the SNSF had not yet commented on a possible salary adjustment (see Internal news, 19 December 2022).

A few weeks later, the SNSF confirmed that the research staff it funds would receive a cost-of-living adjustment effective 1 March 2023. All that remained before ETH’s scientific assistants and doctoral students could also receive this adjustment was to secure the approval of the ETH Executive Board (see Internal news, 7 February 2022).

This has now happened: the Executive Board has decided to increase the salaries of doctoral students and research assistants I by a cost-of-living adjustment of 2.5 percent as of 1 March 2023. The increase applies to all salary rates and doctoral students – regardless of funding. Scientific positions with a flat-rate salary funded by the SNSF (e.g. SNSF Prima, Eccellenza, Ambizione) or aligned with SNSF rates will thus also receive an increase.

Talks continue

While this decision by the Executive Board answered the question of the cost-of-living adjustment for the scientific staff, the discussion surrounding the salary model for doctoral students continues. In January, a working group convened by Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership,  began its work. This group – comprising representatives from both the scientific staff and the departments – is to determine long-term solutions as to how ETH will set up its salary model in the future and whether, for example, doctoral students’ salaries should continue to be linked to the SNSF or not.