By international comparison, foreign nationals in Switzerland “have a good level of education, a very high employment rate, and actively strive to learn a national language,” a new report reveals.
This is what emerges from a new study carried out the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission.
Its findings are based on 83 indicators covering three main areas: labour market and skills; living conditions; as well as civic engagement and social integration.
The report points out that from 2011 to 2023, nearly three out of four immigrants arrived in Switzerland under the free movement of persons agreement with the EU.
“Most immigrants are highly educated: about half of those from the EU have a tertiary degree – more than in most comparable countries. For people from non-EU countries, the proportion of tertiary education qualifications is also high by international standards, reaching 35 percent.”
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What does the Swiss government say about the study’s results?
On the whole, “integration into the labour market is working very well in Switzerland,” the Federal Council said in a press release, pointing out that “the employment rate of immigrants is 77 percent, one of the highest in the OECD. Nearly half of these individuals hold highly skilled jobs, which is also a high figure internationally.”
It stressed that language skills are also an important factor for successful integration and the study shows that Switzerland performs well in this area: after five years, nearly half of those who previously had only a basic knowledge of a national language have acquired advanced skills, which is slightly above the EU average.
“The proportion of people actively striving to learn the language is significantly higher than average: 61 percent of immigrants reported having participated in language training,” the government said. “Access to subsidised language courses largely explains this success.”
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Some challenges, however, remain
Despite its overall good performance, the government conceded that foreign women “still face greater difficulties than men in integrating professionally in Switzerland. Their employment rate is 71 percent, compared to 80 percent for women born in Switzerland.”
And, as in many countries, immigrants with foreign university degrees also struggle to find highly skilled employment in Switzerland, particularly if they are not from the EU/EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), and are settling in Switzerland through family reunification.
However, the study mentions that “significant efforts by the authorities” have been made to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.
“Overall, the study reinforces Switzerland’s chosen path regarding immigrant integration,” the government said.
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What exactly does Switzerland do to help foreigners integrate?
Article 4 of the Swiss Federal Act on Integration states that “the federal government’s contributions to promoting integration are intended to enable foreigners to participate in economic and social life, and to foster social cohesion.”
According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), “these measures contribute, in particular, to faster and more sustainable professional integration of migrants.”
Concretely, the federal government has earmarked about 248.8 million francs to be distributed to cantons for their own integration programmes (PIC).
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“The PICs are the main strategic instrument of Swiss integration policy.” the Federal Council said. “They are based on programme agreements concluded between the Confederation and the cantons. The 2024-2027 agreements provide for seven areas of support, including language, trainability and employability, as well as living together and participation.”
“These funds will enable the cantons to finance measures aimed primarily at immigrants from EU and EFTA, as well as those from third countries,” the government added.
The biggest amounts are earmarked toward language courses (88 million francs), employment (73 million), and counselling (26 million).
READ ALSO: How does Switzerland spend its money on helping foreign residents integrate?
