A touch control switch suitable for fluorescent lighting, or reactive load, as well as incandescent lighting, or resistive load, installations without modification to the control circuit. The control circuit is connected between the lamp load, either resistive or reactive, and the supply circuit in the lighting installation for alternating current and comprises a semiconductor switching element, such as a TRIAC, having a gate electrode. A counting circuit with a forward stepping input and a digital control output is connected to the gate electrode of the TRIAC via a trigger pulse generating circuit for controlling the conduction of the TRIAC in accordance with the condition of activation of the digital control output. A control pulse shaping circuit has its output connected to the forward stepping input of the counting circuit and first and second input terminals connectable to a touch sensitive impedance, such as a manually controllable capacitive reactance, to enable turn on or activation of the lamp load. The aforementioned trigger pulse generating circuit comprises an edge-triggered mono-pulse generating circuit that has a first input for leading edge triggering and a second input for trailing edge triggering jointly connected to the supply circuit.