Switzerland slightly less attractive to EU citizens

The number of workers from the Union’s Southern and Eastern states climbs steadily, in contrast with those from Germany

23 juin 2015 à 17h15

Pouvoirs

A small country with strong growth, real wage increases of 0.7% per year between 2002 and 2014 and unemployment of around 3%, Switzerland continues to exert a strong attraction on workers from the EU. Although GDP has slipped by 0.2% as the result of the strong appreciation of the franc against the euro, the latest report by the Observatory on Free Movement of Persons, made public by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), on 23 June, confirms the tendency.…

Salary competition exists

The observatory acknowledges that competition resulting from the presence of EU workers has become more intense for local workers in certain Swiss border areas and in certain sectors of the economy. In the parts of Switzerland close to Northern Italy, and in Basel and Geneva, notably due to the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro, Switzerland's attraction as a workplace has grown for persons living in EU border areas. In Italian-speaking Tessin, and in Basel and Geneva, cross-border commuters amount to one fourth of the workforce. As a general rule, however, high levels of immigration by EU workers have slowed the ageing of the population and thus eased the Swiss social insurance burden. Only unemployment insurance has had to deal with additional costs. On the whole, EU nationals contributed 25% and received 31% of benefits.

Salary competition exists

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