SwissDevJobs.ch Scraper

Scrapes developer job listings from swissdevjobs.ch - Switzerland's premier job board for software engineers, developers, DevOps, data scientists, and other tech professionals.

Three Scraping Modes

This scraper supports three distinct modes for different use cases:

Mode	Input	Output	Use Case
SEARCH MODE	Technology + location + filters	Job data from listing pages	New job discovery with filtering
SEARCH + FILTERS MODE	Advanced filters (experience, company type, etc.)	Filtered job data	Targeted job search
DIRECT URLS MODE	directUrls: [...]	Full job data + job_status	Still-alive checks, re-scraping specific jobs

Features

• Swiss Developer Jobs: Focuses on tech and development roles across Switzerland
• JavaScript SPA Support: Uses Playwright to handle client-side rendering
• Rich Filtering: Filter by technology, location, experience level, job type, company size, workplace, language, and visa sponsorship
• Two-phase scraping: Collects job listings, then fetches full descriptions from detail pages
• Comprehensive Data: Extracts salary ranges, benefits, technologies, requirements, and company info
• Standardized output: Consistent JobListing schema across all job scrapers

Input

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
directUrls	array	[]	Direct job URLs to scrape (skips search mode)
technology	string	""	Filter by technology category (e.g., "Python", "JavaScript", "DevOps", "ML-AI")
location	string	""	Filter by city/region (e.g., "Zurich", "Bern", "Geneva", "remote")
experienceLevel	string	""	Filter by experience level: "Junior", "Regular", "Senior", "Lead"
jobType	string	""	Filter by employment type: "Full-Time", "Part-Time", "Freelance", "Internship"
companySize	string	""	Filter by company size: "<50", "50-200", "200-500", "500-1k", "1k-5k", "5k+"
companyType	string	""	Filter by company type: "Product", "Agency", "Startup"
workplace	string	""	Filter by workplace type: "Remote", "Hybrid", "Office"
language	string	""	Filter by required language: "English", "French", "German"
visaSponsorship	boolean	false	Only show jobs offering visa sponsorship for non-EU residents
maxResults	integer	100	Maximum number of jobs to scrape (1-1000)
proxyConfiguration	object	Residential	Apify proxy settings

Mode 1: SEARCH MODE (Discovery)

Search for jobs with basic filters:

• Use case: Discover jobs by technology and location
• Speed: Moderate - handles infinite scroll and pagination
• Output: Complete job data with structured fields

{
  "technology": "Python",
  "location": "Zurich",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Mode 2: SEARCH + FILTERS MODE (Targeted)

Apply advanced filters for targeted search:

• Use case: Find specific jobs matching criteria (experience, company type, remote work, etc.)
• Speed: Moderate - applies UI filters before scraping
• Output: Highly targeted job results

{
  "technology": "DevOps",
  "experienceLevel": "Senior",
  "workplace": "Remote",
  "visaSponsorship": true,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Mode 3: DIRECT URLS MODE (Still Alive Checks)

When directUrls is provided, the scraper operates in direct mode:

• Skips search phase - Goes directly to provided job URLs
• Job status detection - Returns online, offline, expired, or unknown
• Full data extraction - Extracts all structured data from job pages
• Use case: Periodic "still alive" checks, re-scraping specific jobs after deduplication

{
  "directUrls": [
    "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Company-AG-Senior-Software-Engineer---Zurich",
    "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Tech-Startup-DevOps-Engineer-Bern",
    "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Finance-Corp-Data-Scientist-Geneva"
  ]
}

Direct URLs mode workflow:

1. Provide array of SwissDevJobs job detail URLs
2. Scraper visits each URL directly
3. Detects if job is still online or has been removed
4. Extracts structured data from window.__detailedJob if available
5. Returns job_status field indicating availability

Available Technology Categories

C-C++, C#.NET, Data, Golang, Java, JavaScript, Mobile, PHP, Python, Ruby, SAP, System, DevOps, IT, Database, QA-Test, ML-AI, Security, Network, GameDev, Blockchain, UX-UI, Architect, Business, Manager, Support, Rust, Hardware, No-Code

Available Locations

remote, Zurich, Aarau, Baden, Basel, Bern, Biel, Chur, Fribourg, Geneva, Olten, Lausanne, Liechtenstein, Lugano, Luzern, Schaffhausen, Sion, Solothurn, St-Gallen, Thun, Winterthur, Zug

Output

Each job listing includes:

{
  "id": "Company-AG-Senior-Software-Engineer---Zurich",
  "title": "Senior Software Engineer",
  "company": "Tech Company AG",
  "location": "Techstrasse 42, 8001 Zürich",
  "canton": "ZH",
  "job_status": "online",
  "top_listing": true,
  "employment_type": "full-time",
  "workload_min": null,
  "workload_max": null,
  "remote_option": "hybrid",
  "salary_min": 110000,
  "salary_max": 140000,
  "salary_currency": "CHF",
  "salary_period": "yearly",
  "salary_text": "CHF 110'000 - 140'000",
  "description_snippet": "We are looking for...",
  "description_full": "Full job description with requirements...",
  "requirements": ["5+ years experience", "Python expertise", "Team leadership"],
  "requirements_must": ["Python", "Django", "PostgreSQL"],
  "requirements_nice": ["Docker", "Kubernetes"],
  "technologies": ["Python", "Django", "PostgreSQL", "Docker", "AWS"],
  "responsibilities": ["Lead backend development", "Mentor junior developers"],
  "benefits": ["Hybrid work", "5 weeks vacation", "Team events", "Flexible hours"],
  "company_size": "50-200",
  "company_type": "Product",
  "experience_level": "Senior",
  "language_required": "English",
  "visa_sponsorship": false,
  "logo_url": "https://swissdevjobs.ch/company/tech-company-logo.jpg",
  "job_category": "Python",
  "city_category": "Zurich",
  "posted_at": null,
  "expires_at": null,
  "source_url": "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Company-AG-Senior-Software-Engineer---Zurich",
  "source_platform": "swissdevjobs.ch",
  "apply_url": "https://company.com/careers/apply",
  "company_benefits": ["Hybrid work", "5 weeks vacation", "Team events"],
  "scraped_at": "2024-12-09T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Output Fields

Field	Description
id	Job URL slug (Company-Name-Job-Title format)
title	Job title
company	Company name
location	Full address including street, postal code, city
canton	Swiss canton code (ZH, BE, GE, etc.)
job_status	Job availability: online, offline, expired, unknown (Direct URLs mode only)
top_listing	Boolean - if job is featured/promoted (Search mode: detected from badges; Direct URLs: always null)
employment_type	full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, internship, apprenticeship
workload_min	Minimum workload percentage
workload_max	Maximum workload percentage
remote_option	remote, hybrid, onsite
salary_min	Minimum annual salary (CHF)
salary_max	Maximum annual salary (CHF)
salary_currency	Always "CHF"
salary_period	Always "yearly"
salary_text	Formatted salary range
description_snippet	First 500 characters
description_full	Complete job description
requirements	Combined array of must-have and nice-to-have requirements
requirements_must	Array of required skills/qualifications
requirements_nice	Array of preferred skills/qualifications
technologies	Array of technologies/tools mentioned
responsibilities	Array of job responsibilities
benefits	Array of company benefits/perks (mapped to readable format)
company_size	Company size category
company_type	Product, Agency, or Startup
experience_level	Junior, Regular, Senior, or Lead
language_required	Required language (English, German, French)
visa_sponsorship	Boolean - if visa sponsorship is offered
logo_url	Company logo URL
job_category	Technology category
city_category	City/location category
posted_at	Publication date (usually null)
expires_at	Expiration date (usually null)
source_url	Link to job posting
source_platform	Always "swissdevjobs.ch"
apply_url	External application URL
company_benefits	Same as benefits field
scraped_at	Timestamp when job was scraped

Notes on job_status field:

• Only populated in Direct URLs mode (Mode 3)
• In Search modes (Mode 1 & 2), this field is null since jobs from search results are assumed to be online
• Values:
  • online - Job page loaded with valid data from window.__detailedJob
  • offline - Job page returns "not found" or 404
  • expired - Job explicitly marked as expired
  • unknown - Unable to extract job data (may be anti-bot placeholder)

Note on anti-bot detection: SwissDevJobs.ch may return a placeholder string "JOB_PLACEHOLDER" instead of actual job data when it detects scraping. In such cases, the scraper will:

• Set job_status to unknown
• Extract company name from the job URL slug as a fallback
• Return minimal data with available information

Example Usage

Search for Python developers in Zurich

{
  "technology": "Python",
  "location": "Zurich",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Find remote DevOps jobs

{
  "technology": "DevOps",
  "workplace": "Remote",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Find senior JavaScript developers at startups

{
  "technology": "JavaScript",
  "experienceLevel": "Senior",
  "companyType": "Startup",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Find ML/AI jobs with visa sponsorship

{
  "technology": "ML-AI",
  "visaSponsorship": true,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Find part-time Rust jobs in Basel

{
  "technology": "Rust",
  "location": "Basel",
  "jobType": "Part-Time",
  "maxResults": 30
}

Find German-speaking jobs at large companies

{
  "language": "German",
  "companySize": "1k-5k",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Direct URLs - Still Alive Check

{
  "directUrls": [
    "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Company-AG-Senior-Software-Engineer---Zurich",
    "https://swissdevjobs.ch/jobs/Tech-Startup-DevOps-Engineer-Bern"
  ]
}

How It Works

1. Listing Phase: Navigates to swissdevjobs.ch search results and waits for JavaScript to render job cards
2. Filter Application (optional): Clicks UI filter buttons to apply advanced search criteria
3. Infinite Scroll: Scrolls page to load more jobs via infinite scroll pattern
4. Extraction: Extracts job links from the listing page
5. Detail Phase: Visits each job's detail page to get structured data from window.__detailedJob
6. Validation: Validates each job against the JobListing schema before saving

Search Mode (Modes 1 & 2)

• Builds URL with technology and location filters
• Optionally applies advanced filters via UI clicks
• Scrolls to load more jobs (up to 10 scroll attempts)
• Extracts job links and enqueues detail pages
• Respects maxResults limit throughout the process

Direct URLs Mode (Mode 3)

• Skips search and filter phase entirely
• Goes directly to provided job URLs
• Extracts data from window.__detailedJob JavaScript variable
• Handles offline/expired/placeholder responses
• Returns job_status field for monitoring

Technical Details

JavaScript SPA Architecture

SwissDevJobs.ch is a Single Page Application (SPA) that:

• Uses client-side rendering for job listings
• Injects job data via JavaScript variables (e.g., window.__detailedJob)
• Has an API endpoint at /api/errors/report for error reporting
• Requires JavaScript execution to display content

Scraping Strategy

This scraper uses:

• PlaywrightCrawler: For JavaScript rendering and dynamic content
• DOM extraction: Parses rendered HTML after JavaScript execution
• Fallback selectors: Multiple selector strategies for robustness
• Smart waiting: Waits for content to load before extraction
• Anti-bot handling: Detects and handles placeholder responses

Proxy Recommendations

For best results:

• Use Residential proxies (recommended for JavaScript-heavy sites)
• Avoid datacenter proxies (may trigger anti-bot protection)
• Keep maxResults reasonable (<500 per run)

Local Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Run locally with test input
apify run --purge

# Push to Apify (when ready)
apify push

Common Use Cases

1. Tech job market analysis: Track hiring trends for developers in Switzerland
2. Competitive intelligence: Monitor which companies are hiring for specific technologies
3. Job aggregation: Build specialized tech job search platforms
4. Still-alive monitoring: Check if previously scraped jobs are still active (Direct URLs mode)
5. Post-deduplication enrichment: Scrape basic data first, then fetch details for new jobs only
6. Salary research: Analyze compensation ranges for tech roles
7. Skills trending: Identify in-demand technologies and skills

Notes

• SwissDevJobs.ch is a specialized job board for tech/developer roles in Switzerland
• The site structure may change; selectors might need updates
• Full job descriptions require visiting detail pages (slower)
• Some jobs may not have all fields available (e.g., salary, remote option)
• Respects the site's robots.txt and terms of service
• Job IDs are URL slugs in format: Company-Name-Job-Title
• Anti-bot protection may return placeholder data instead of real job information

Related Scrapers

• Indeed Scraper: For broader job search across multiple countries
• Jobs.ch Scraper: For all types of jobs in Switzerland (not just tech)
• Ictjobs.ch Scraper: For IT jobs across Switzerland

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Part of the Santamaria Job Scrapers Suite - Professional-grade job data for the DACH region and beyond.

Need help with integration, aggregation, or custom scraping solutions? Contact us at contact@alessandrosantamaria.com