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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Where in Switzerland do workers get a day off on Friday?

You may know that December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and that it's a public holiday in half of the Swiss cantons.

Published: 1 December 2023 11:13 CET
Updated: 5 December 2023 12:31 CET
Where in Switzerland do workers get a day off on Friday?
Half of Switzerland's cantons mark Immaculate Conception. Image by Carlos Andrés Ruiz Palacio from Pixabay.

This year, December 8th falls on a Friday, meaning that workers in 13 (predominantly Catholic) Swiss cantons and municipalities will get to enjoy a work-free day.

What exactly is being celebrated?

This Catholic feast day marks the Immaculate Conception, which many may imagine was Mary’s conception of Jesus.

In fact, it actually marks the conception of Mary herself. Her mother Saint Anne became pregnant in the usual, biological way, Catholics believe, but the conception was ‘immaculate’ because God intervened, absolving Mary of original sin.

According to Catholic dogma, all humans are born with original sin, which is why babies are baptized shortly after birth to make them “worthy” of entry to Heaven. But Mary was never tainted by original sin, kept “immaculate” from the moment of her conception because God knew she would one day give birth to Jesus Christ.

While the event has been marked since as early is the seventh century, December 8th was first officially declared a holy day by the Vatican in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

READ MORE: Public holidays: What days will you get off work in Switzerland in 2024?

How is it marked?

For some people, this date means a day off work (when the holiday falls on a weekday) and getting together for a family lunch.

However, if the holiday falls on a weekend, as for instance Easter Sunday does, you do not get an extra weekday holiday in lieu – though some churches have moved their service to the following day in the past whenever the holiday would coincide with a Sunday of Advent.

Switzerland has many churches and chapels dedicated to Mary and you can find them in different parts of the country, such as the St. Marien (Basel), Marienkirche (Bern) and the Ticino-based pilgrimage church Madonna del Sasso.

Which cantons give workers the day off?

If you happen to work in one of the following cantons or municipalities, then you’re in luck as you will not be expected to show up for work on December 8th: Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Valais, and Zug.

The public holiday is also celebrated in nearly all of Solothurn with the exception of the Bucheggberg District, one of the ten districts within the canton.

In Aargau, the public holiday is only marked in Laufenburg, Muri, and parts of Rheinfelden (Hellikon, Mumpf, Obermumpf, Schupfart, Stein, Wegstetten).

Immaculate Conception is also a public holiday in parts of Graubünden though not canton-wide.

Does this mean everything will be closed?

Nor necessarily. Shops and museums in municipalities have the option to obtain a Sunday permit if they wish to remain open on December 8th and given that we are approaching the Christmas period, it can be assumed that many will choose to do so. It is best to check out your local canton’s website for further information on what shops will be open on the Friday.

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JOBS

Which professions in Switzerland are harder for foreigners to break into?

In many sectors of Switzerland’s economy, Swiss employees prevail over foreign ones — and vice-versa.

Published: 15 May 2024 14:40 CEST
Which professions in Switzerland are harder for foreigners to break into?

In the past, the ‘division of labour’ in Switzerland was clear: foreign nationals held mostly manual (and therefore lower-paid) jobs, while the Swiss worked in managerial / executive and other middle and high positions.

Many sectors still follow these traditional roles, with some jobs held almost exclusively by Swiss citizens, and others by foreign nationals.

Which jobs are mostly held by the Swiss?

To find this out, the Basel-based consultancy firm, Demografik, surveyed professions with more than 10,000 employees.

It found that “about 60 percent of the country’s masons and flooring installers are foreign-born,” Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), reported.

The comparable figure among the country’s unskilled workers as a whole is even higher —  84 percent.

“Swiss nationals also make up only a third of kitchen assistants and cleaning staffers” — jobs typically held by immigrants with no higher education or vocational training.

On the other hand, Swiss citizens hold a number of jobs that are almost unattainable for unskilled foreign nationals, including police officers, teachers, lawyers, senior administrative staff, and social workers.

Only a small percentage of immigrants work in these professions.

However, they dominate fields such as service staff, chauffeurs, unskilled industrial workers, and construction — jobs where very few Swiss can be found.

Why is this?

“The proportion of foreign workers is highest in jobs that are generally considered unappealing – whether because of the low pay, high level of physical demands or irregular working hours,” said Demografik economist Lisa Triolo.

“Nevertheless, these professions are important for the functioning of the economy, because they are difficult to automate.”

Triolo also found that foreigners mainly work in areas where recruiting employees has been difficult.

“The longer the vacancy period in an occupational group, the higher the proportion of foreigners,” she pointed out.  “For example, construction is the sector in which companies take the longest to fill an open position.”

Is this survey objective?

It is, if you focus primarily on unskilled foreign workers, who basically take on jobs that the Swiss don’t want.

The picture is different, however, if you include skilled professionals into the mix.

Many of them hold the same positions, and earn equal or even higher wages, than their Swiss counterparts.

READ ALSO: In which jobs in Switzerland do foreign workers earn more than the Swiss? 

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