On 5 November 2026 swiss export and Kearney presented the ninth «KMU Mittelstandstudie», with SECO and Fischer Reinach AG. 58% of SMEs improved productivity; AI is seen as an opportunity (8.7/10), but missing skills top the barriers at 54%. What matters for a Ticino SME.
On 5 November 2026 the ninth edition of the «KMU Mittelstandstudie 2026» by swiss export and Kearney was presented, with partners Fischer Reinach AG and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The subtitle is clear: productivity under pressure, with a focus on opportunities and barriers of artificial intelligence for Swiss SMEs. The full report and the summary on Organisator set the figures: survey in summer 2026, 214 participating firms, 187 fully completed questionnaires.
For a Ticino SME that already uses AI tools (writing assistants, analytics, internal knowledge bases) or is assessing them, the study is useful because it links productivity, digitisation and skills without treating AI as an automatic shortcut.
Confidence and productivity: the main figures
According to the study, 58% of firms rate their current business situation as good or very good; for the next three years positive expectations rise to about 65%. Internally, 58% report improved productivity over the past 12 months, but only 4% report a strong increase: gains remain mostly incremental.
The most frequently named drivers of higher productivity are:
- More efficient processes and standardisation — 59%
- Digitisation, automation and AI — 39%
Among cyclical risks, energy and raw-material prices remain first (52%). Raw-material availability is named by 39% (it was 8% in the previous edition).
How SMEs already use AI
AI is increasingly seen as an opportunity: on a scale from 1 (threat) to 10 (opportunity) the average is 8.7, versus 6.9 in 2024. The most common uses among surveyed firms:
- internal know-how databases — 48% (19% in 2024)
- analytical tools for problem-solving and decisions — 42%
- sales and finance data analysis — 39%
- code and application development — 31%
82% expect AI to change their way of working strongly within two to three years. Among firms that use AI for pattern recognition or sales/finance analysis, about 63% report rising productivity (versus 58% in the overall sample). The study stresses that no causal link can be inferred: well-structured processes and available data may support both AI use and productivity gains.
Barriers: skills, time, data
For more productive AI use, the study puts missing skills (54%) first, then lack of time (40%) and data protection/security (35%). Costs (18%) and unclear economic benefit (17%) weigh less; low acceptance (8%) is residual. In parallel, 19% name a political AI strategy as a priority (10% in 2025).
Claudia Moerker, Managing Director of swiss export, puts it this way (as quoted by Organisator): AI opens major opportunities for Swiss SMEs, but what counts is identifying concrete use cases and measurable value, with efficient processes and skilled staff.
What a Ticino SME can do
The results suggest a pragmatic path without having to «adopt AI» wholesale:
- Start from a measurable bottleneck — repetitive search, manual reports, internal FAQs — not from a fashionable tool.
- Fix processes and data before or alongside technology — the study ranks standardisation ahead of AI among productivity drivers.
- Set rules on data and responsibility — what never goes into external tools, who validates outputs. This connects to the OFCOM guide on an AI code of conduct and guidance on AI at work and oversharing.
- Invest in skills and protected time — without training and dedicated slots, tools stay unused. Labour-market demand is also the topic of our article on almost 5000 Swiss AI job ads.
- Measure time saved and result quality — as the study recalls, the mere presence of AI does not prove an economic benefit.
Our approach
ElaraTeq Sagl develops and runs websites and applications for SMEs and public bodies in Ticino, including tools with AI features. In consulting we help choose realistic use cases, organise processes and data, and define internal rules. For a first discussion you can contact us.
Sources
- swiss export, KMU Mittelstandstudie 2026 (official page, DE)
- swiss export / Kearney, KMU Mittelstandstudie 2026 (PDF), summer 2026 / presented 5 November 2026
- swiss export, Étude sur les PME 2026 (FR page)
- Organisator, Schweizer KMU gewinnen Zuversicht, 5 November 2026
