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What a new study reveals about Switzerland’s foreign population

A new study released this week by the Federal Statistical Office (OFS) shows some interesting facts about foreign nationals living in Switzerland.

Published: 16 October 2020 11:54 CEST
Updated: 18 October 2020 08:59 CEST
What a new study reveals about Switzerland's foreign population
New study tells a lot about foreign nationals. Photo by AFP

Switzerland's total population is just over 8.5 million. More than a third of residents have migrant backgrounds.

According to OFS, people with migrant background represent 37 percent of Switzerland’s population aged 15 and over, totaling about 2,7 million people.

Permanent residents with foreign origin increased by 1.3 percent between 2018 and 2019. More than 80 percent of them were born abroad and are part of the first generation, while 36 percent hold a Swiss passport.

On the other hand, the proportion of Swiss nationals who have no migration background has fallen by 10 percent.

The most ‘international’ regions in Switzerland

Not surprisingly, Geneva is the most multicultural canton, with foreigners living there accounting for 61.2 percent of its population.

Next are Basel-City (51.1 percent), Ticino (50.7 percent), and Vaud (50 percent).

READ MORE: What we know about dual nationals living in Switzerland 

Employment status

The first generation of immigrants “occupy a less favourable position in the labour market”, the OFS reported.

For the second generation, the situation varies: There is more unemployment than among the non-migrant population, but rate of employees with a managerial function is the same.

The OFS noted, however, that migration status can “under no circumstances be considered as the sole explanatory factor” of these situations. Other variables such as age and level of education also explain these differences.

What else do we know about foreign nationals in Switzerland?

• According to other OFS reports, out of 2,176 million foreign nationals, the majority – about 1,434 million — come from the EU and EFTA states. Italian (321,000), German (307,000), Portuguese (260,000) and French (139,000) citizens make up the majority of immigrants from the European Union.

• The roughly 42,000 Britons who live in Switzerland are not counted in the EU statistics since the UK’s exit from the bloc.

• Switzerland is in second place in Europe, behind only Luxemburg, in terms of the number of EU and EFTA nationals employed in the country. Nearly 60 percent of them occupy positions in so-called intellectual, scientific or highly qualified professions. They mainly work in the pharma, finance or new technology sectors. About 10 percent are in management positions.

• About 330,000 cross-border workers commute daily to their Swiss jobs from France, Italy, Germany, and Austria. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200807/the-number-of-cross-border-workers-in-switzerland-has-grown-slightly

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IMMIGRATION

Why is Switzerland spending 300 million francs to protect Schengen borders?

From August 1st, 2024, Switzerland will contribute financially to the European effort to strengthen the protection of the Schengen area’s external borders.

Published: 24 July 2024 14:15 CEST
Why is Switzerland spending 300 million francs to protect Schengen borders?

Though Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it does belong to the Schengen area — not only benefitting from the access to Europe’s borderless zone, but also participating in its funding.

Financial support is especially needed in Schengen countries with particularly extensive land and sea borders or major international airports on their territories, because they bear a heavy financial burden of securing the zone’s external borders, for the benefit of all the other members.

How will Switzerland’s 300-million-franc contribution be used?

Over the period of next seven years, it will go toward the programme called Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVl), which is part of the fund that ensures efficient management of EU’s borders.

The EU already allocated 6.24 billion euros to the BMVI for a seven-year period, and 300 million francs is Switzerland’s share.

Specifically, those funds will be used towards improving external border controls, investing in common large-scale IT systems in the area of borders management and visa policy, funding infrastructure and equipment, and deployment of immigration liaison officers, among other tasks.

Why is Switzerland contributing 300 million francs?

The BMVl’s goal is to “improve the protection of the external borders of the Schengen area and, therefore, to increase the effectiveness of border controls and prevent illegal immigration,” the Federal Council said. 

This, along with effective and integrated management of the external borders “is also in Switzerland’s interest.”

Also, Switzerland will likely receive grants from the BMVl of around 50 million francs to be allocated mainly to the establishment of new EU information systems (EES Entry and Exit System, and European Travel Information and Authorization System ETIAS) on its territory.

Furthermore, it is planned to use part of these resources to finance the expansion of the border control infrastructure at Zurich Airport.

Benefits for Switzerland

There is no doubt that Swiss citizens benefit greatly from access to the Schengen zone.

Simply put, it allows anyone who is in Switzerland legally to enjoy hassle-free travel to and from the 26 other Schengen states, visa time limits permitting.

Travellers arriving into Switzerland for the first time from a non-Schengen state like the UK or the US will have to queue up to have their passports checked, but after that they can move freely.

That means Swiss citizens, EU nationals, non-EU international residents in Switzerland, tourists, exchange students or people travelling for business can travel on to another Schengen member state, perhaps neighbouring France or Germany by car or train, without having to show their passports. (Although occasionally checks are brought back.) 

That is a definite ‘plus’ for anyone who travels within Europe. Due to Switzerland having so many land borders with other Schengen countries it would have been hugely problematic not to join.
 

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