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JOBS

Why finding a job in Switzerland is set to become easier

Experts forecast a major shortage in the Swiss job market in the coming years, with the hundreds of thousands of positions to become available due to retirement and a strong economy.

Published: 12 January 2022 14:01 CET
A help wanted sign seen in a window
Help wanted? Switzerland's strong economy and retiring baby boomers will see a massive need for new workers in the coming years. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

With nearly 150,000 people currently in quarantine, placing Switzerland’s critical infrastructure at risk, Omicron offers a foretaste of what could become a huge problem for the country in the years to come: impending shortage of trained workers.

At present, a gap is growing between the demand from the Swiss economy, which is constantly creating new jobs despite the Covid pandemic, and the ever-shrinking supply of skilled labour — employees who have a vocational diploma or university degree.

READ MORE: How to find English language jobs in Switzerland

In addition to Switzerland’s strong economy, the number of people retiring is higher than that of new employees entering the workforce. 

“The impact on the labour market will be huge,” said Tino Senoner, director of Dynajobs, who predicts a shortage of 365,000 specialised workers by 2025.

“This lack of personnel will cost the economy. In 2025 alone, this could lead to the loss of nearly 60 billion francs in added value,” said Senoner.

If the trend continues unabated, there will be a shortage of 1.2 million skilled workers by 2035. 

EXPLAINED: Five things you need to do when you move to Switzerland

Which industries will be hard hit?

While the labour shortage is expected to hit all areas of the Swiss economy, several areas will be particularly hard hit including healthcare, manufacturing and particularly IT. 

READ MORE: How much do IT specialists earn in Switzerland?

IT workers will be especially in demand, experts say, because businesses will need to digitalise and automate to make up for the likely shortage. 

Experts however say that lower skilled jobs will also be in higher demand, including hospitality, retail and transport. 

What does this mean for workers inside – and outside – of Switzerland? 

With hundreds of thousands of vacancies to fill, people with the permission to work in Switzerland are likely to be flush with offers – particularly skilled workers with recognised qualifications. 

One likely trend is that people will be encouraged to delay their retirements in order to work for longer. 

Employers may look to adopt flexible working conditions including part-time hours or remote work in order to tempt skilled workers to stave off retirement for a few more years. 

EXPLAINED: How to write the perfect Swiss CV

Simon Wey, chief economist of the Swiss Employers’ Union, said companies should start investing more in training their employees. 

“From the employers’ point of view, the priority is to exploit the potential of Swiss labor,” he said. 

“The Swiss Employers’ Union wants to encourage collaboration between the generations and create stronger incentives to work beyond the retirement age”.

Another consequence will be a need to import more skilled workers from abroad. 

Senoner points out that this may be difficult as Switzerland will need to compete with several other European nations for workers, particularly German-speaking Europe, in the coming years. 

“In the German-speaking area as a whole, there will be a shortage of nearly two million specialists within four years,” Senoner said. 

What does this mean for Switzerland?

Although the trend is likely to be positive for workers, if it is not rectified it may have serious consequences for the Swiss economy. 

Wey said the trend could endanger prosperity in Switzerland, one of the world’s wealthiest nations. 

“If there is a shortage of labor, Switzerland’s economic location will lose an important competitive advantage for creating wealth,” Wey told Blick. 

READ MORE: Five insider tips to find a job in Switzerland

Alexander Bélaz, President of Employees Switzerland, said companies will be hampered not just in terms of staffing, but with regard to innovation. 

“If you lack qualified staff, less time is available to put ideas and new products in place. Switzerland’s capacity for innovation and competitiveness could suffer as a result,” explains Bélaz. 

“This scarcity of resources is one of the most important business risks in the industry and in the medium term constitutes a danger for innovation in Switzerland.”

Wey called upon governments to invest more in other indirect services to help workers, such as childcare and daycare facilities. 

Member comments

  1. Maybe we need to think holistically and make work visa and settling in Switzerland permanently, an easier process.

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For members

WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

How can a foreign teacher find work in a Swiss school or university?

More Swiss cantons are hiring teachers from abroad, but candidates must meet certain criteria.

Published: 7 May 2024 15:05 CEST
How can a foreign teacher find work in a Swiss school or university?

Too few teachers are being trained in Switzerland, which means that by the beginning of the new decade, between 43,000 and 47,000 new professionals would need to be recruited. 

To remedy this situation, various cantons are taking steps, or are planning to do so in the near future, to fill the gap with teachers trained abroad. 

READ ALSO: Swiss cantons move to hire more foreign teachers 

Does this mean that any foreign teacher can easily find work in Switzerland?

Let’s define ‘foreign’ first.

If you are a foreign national who has been entirely trained at one of Swiss Universities of Teacher Education (PH), and receive a corresponding diploma, then you are in the clear, and no further action is needed.

If, however, you studied abroad and obtained a foreign diploma, then you may have to be-retrained in Switzerland, and meet the local hiring criteria.

One thing to remember is that cantons are responsible for their own school system, so requirements (as well as opportunities) may be different from one region to another.

Teachers with foreign teaching diplomas can apply to the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Education (EDK) to have their credentials recognised in Switzerland.  

The EDK will decide what (if any) further training or certification you may need in order to work in a school in a given canton.

This is how it works

The EDK will compare your foreign training with the one provided in Swiss universities.

If it is found to be equivalent, you will receive an official certificate of recognition of your diploma in Switzerland, and can then look for a job.

If, however, there are significant differences in the level of education, the EDK will ask for so-called ‘compensatory measures’ — for instance, via a ‘Certificate of Advanced Studies’ (CAS) —  to be carried out in a Swiss PH before your diploma can be recognised.

The exact steps are described here.

Language proficiency

Obviously, if you come from Germany, France, Italy, Austria, or Liechtenstein, and intend to teach in the linguistically-appropriate canton, then this is one hurdle you don’t have to overcome.

For all the others, however, candidates must provide proof of sufficient language skills in one of the main Swiss national languages.

“As proof of such language skills in German, French or Italian, an internationally recognised language diploma at Level C2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF) the is required,” according to the EDK.

For those who only teach a language that is not a Swiss national language (such as English), a B2 CERF level in German, French, or Italian is sufficient.

READ ALSO: How can I have my foreign qualifications recognised in Switzerland? 

What about work permits?

If you come from an EU / EFTA state (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), then you will obtain a permit easily – if you haven’t gotten one yet.

For those from third countries, things are more complicated because you are subject to special quotas and will be admitted only if your presence in Switzerland is considered to be “in the general economic interest.”

This means that you must not only be a highly qualified professional in your field, but also that no Swiss or EU / EFTA national can be found for a given teaching position.

However, if you are a third-country national who already lives in Switzerland with a valid permit, then your candidacy will be considered.

All of the above applies to those looking for a job at primary and secondary schools, but what about universities?

Different procedure

The hiring system at Swiss universities is different.

While foreigners can, of course, apply for a teaching job, most universities recruit professors they need themselves.

Overall, foreigners constitute just over half of teaching staff at Swiss universities.

This is especially the case in the two federal polytechnic institutes — the ETH in Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne —  with 70 and 82 percent, respectively — of foreigners among their academic staff.

Typically, these institutions recruit staff from reputable universities abroad to fill specific  teaching positions — for instance in sciences.

These people are hired as visiting professors at the invitation of one of the faculties. Such appointments are made for a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year, though they can be extended.

In such cases, universities will apply for a visa and a work permit for visiting professors from outside the EU / EFTA.

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