ZURICH (REUTERS) - Swiss voters on Sunday rejected the introduction of a minimum wage of US$25 (S$31) an hour, according to an early projection by Swiss television.

Swiss voters have a history of voting against proposals they feel could hurt the country's economic success. Critics had said a minimum wage would hurt competitiveness and lead to job cuts.

"There will be a clear no vote," Claude Longchamp of the gfs.bern research and polling institute told Swiss television SRF, saying he expected a 'yes' vote of around 30 per cent or less given the preliminary results.

Supporters of the proposed minimum wage, which corresponds to a monthly paycheck of 4,000 francs, had argued it would help smooth out salary inequalities.