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JOBS

EXPLAINED: What are your chances of getting a job in Switzerland from abroad?

Many people dream of working in Switzerland, where salaries are among the highest in the world. But depending on your nationality, finding employment here may not be easy.

Published: 19 March 2021 17:03 CET
Updated: 6 October 2022 09:56 CEST
EXPLAINED: What are your chances of getting a job in Switzerland from abroad?
Your country or origin determines if you get a job in Switzerland easily. Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP

Looking for work in Switzerland while you are abroad is not a problem. All you have to do is look at online listings and find a job that suits you. 

The hardest part is actually getting hired.

Your passport is the decisive factor in whether an employer offers you a job.

If you are a citizen of the European Union or EFTA states (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), finding a job here is easier than if you are from another country (known in Switzerland as a ‘third nation’).

Workers from EU / EFTA can work in Switzerland freely for up to three months, but they have to announce their arrival to cantonal authorities in their place of employment.

If you intend to work in Switzerland for more than three months, you have to register with the local authorities and apply for a residence permit, which you can also use as a work permit.

But to receive a residence permit, you need written confirmation of employment.

The same rules apply to cross-border workers, except that they are required to return to their countries of residence at least once a week.

“No border-zone regulations apply to EU/EFTA nationals”, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).

“They are free to take up residence in any one of the EU or EFTA states and work in all parts of Switzerland”, SEM added.

READ MORE: Jobs in Switzerland: Foreigners ‘less likely to be hired than Swiss nationals’

What about people from third nations?

This is where things get more complicated.

If you are a citizen of non-EU / EFLA state, you must meet strict employment conditions before being offered a job.

Each year, the Federal Council issues a certain number of work permits for non-EU citizens. In 2021 (as in the previous year) this figure is 8,500. From this quota, 4,500 people will be granted a residence permit B, and the remaining 4,000 will receive a short-term residence permit L, entitling them to work in Switzerland for up to one year.

And British citizens, who are no longer part of the EU?

From January 1st, 2021, people from Great Britain are subjected to the same rules as other citizens of third nations.

However, the Federal Council decided that Swiss companies could continue to recruit specialised employees from the United Kingdom, setting a separate quota for British workers.

In 2021, 3,500 work authorisations are reserved especially for UK nationals — 2,100 B permits and 1,400 L permits. That’s in addition to 4,500 non-EU permits.

If you come from outside the EU / EFTA and see a job listing you like, you can apply in the usual manner — send your CV and other documents required by the company.

READ MORE: ‘Unprecedented crisis’: New figures show stark impact of pandemic on all Swiss job sectors

But you will be considered for a job only if you are a highly qualified specialist in your field or another skilled professional. This means you should have a degree from a university or an institution of higher education, as well as a number of years of professional work experience.

In addition, the job you are seeking can’t be filled by a Swiss national or people from EU / EFTA states, which the employer has to prove before offering you a job.

If you do get hired because you fulfil all these criteria, your employer will apply for a work permit. Cantonal authorities will then decide, based on the quota system mentioned above, whether to grant the authorisation.

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For members

WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

The pitfalls of Switzerland’s social security system you need to avoid

In most cases, Switzerland’s social benefits system functions well. But there are also some loopholes you should know about.

Published: 24 April 2024 13:37 CEST
The pitfalls of Switzerland's social security system you need to avoid

The Swiss social security system has several branches: old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance; health and accident insurance; unemployment benefits, and family allowances.

This is a pretty comprehensive package, which covers everyone who pays into the scheme for a wide variety of ‘what ifs’.

As the government explains it, “people living and working in Switzerland benefit from a tightly woven network of social insurance schemes designed to safeguard them against risks that would otherwise overwhelm them financially.” 

But while most residents of Switzerland are able to benefit, at least to some extent, from this system, others don’t.

What is happening?

If someone becomes ill or has an accident, Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance and / or accident insurance will cover the costs.

However, a prolonged absence from work can become costly.

That is especially the case of people employed by companies that don’t have a collective labour agreement (CLA), a contract negotiated between Switzerland’s trade unions and employers or employer organisations that covers a wide range of workers’ rights. 

READ ALSO: What is a Swiss collective bargaining agreement — and how could it benefit you?

It is estimated that roughly half of Switzerland’s workforce of about 5 million people are not covered by a CLA.

If you just happen to work for a company without a CLA, your employer is not required to pay your salary if your illness is long.

You will receive money for a minimum of three weeks – longer, depending on seniority — but certainly not for the long-haul.

You may think that once your wages stop, the disability insurance (DI) will kick in.

But that’s not the case.

The reason is that DI can be paid only after a year after the wages stop. In practice, however, it sometimes takes several years of investigations and verifications to make sure the person is actually eligible to collect these benefits, rather than just pretending to be sick. 

In the meantime, these people have to use their savings to live on.

What about ‘daily allowance insurance’?

Many companies (especially those covered by a CLA) take out this insurance, so they can pay wages to their sick employees for longer periods of time.

However, this insurance is optional for employers without a CLA is place.

As a result, small companies forego it because it is too much of a financial burden for them.

And people who are self-employed face a problem in this area as well: insurance carriers can (and often do) refuse to cover people they deem to be ‘too risky’ in terms of their age or health status.

Critics are calling the two situations —the length of time it takes for the disability insurance to kick in and gaps in the daily allowance insurance—”perhaps the biggest failures of the social security system.”

Is anything being done to remedy this situation?

Given numerous complaints about the unfairness of the current system, the Social Security and Public Health Commission of the Council of States (CSSS-E) will look into the “consequences of shortcomings and numerous dysfunctions in long-term illness insurance.”

But not everyone in Switzerland sees a problem in the current situation.

According to the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA), for instance, “making daily sickness allowance insurance compulsory for employers would not have the desired effect. Due to false incentives, it would only exacerbate the upward trend in costs and premiums.”

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