1. Sustainable Corporate Governance // 2. Business model and Course of Business // 3. Social affairs // 4. Environment
3.3 Diversity and Equality
Workforce structure and -dynamics
SQS is challenged by social trends and specific requirements in its core business. These include constantly growing regulatory requirements from standard setters and an upcoming generational change among our auditors. At the end of 2025, just under 60% of our permanently employed auditors were older than 55. A similar picture is also seen in the audit area for freelance employees.
This means that we will have to replace a significant portion of our human resources over the next ten years. In doing so, we must adapt to a new generation of employees who have different needs regarding their working relationship than previous generations.
The increasing demands placed on the qualifications and impartiality of auditors by accreditation and approval bodies are narrowing the pool of potential auditors for recruitment. This is leading, among other things, to a steady increase in our pool of freelance auditors, while the number of permanent auditors is stagnating or – depending on the area – even decreasing.
Therefore, in 2026 we will develop strategies for how to address these challenges from the perspectives of organizational culture and economic efficiency.
«Even in the world of standards, every customer has different requirements. At SQS, I appreciate the fact that we take this diversity seriously and respond to it in a targeted manner.»
Laureta Krasniqi (Account Manager)
Anteil Frauen bei den festangestellten Auditierenden
Gender diversity
SQS is an employer committed to diversity and gender equality. For a long time, certification was considered a male-dominated field, on the one hand because of the extensive travel involved and on the other hand because of the industry-related nature of the business, which attracted employees from technical professions. However, since 2013, the proportion of female auditors with permanent contracts has risen from 8.1% to 20.8%. This is due to targeted efforts by SQS, but also to the growing importance of branches from the service sector.
