Even foreign nationals have been flocking to Switzerland for decades, “typical” immigrants of today are different from their predecessors, new research reveals.
A research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Geneva analysed data containing millions of entries from censuses, population registers, and Switzerland’s central migration information system, to find out how the profile of immigrants has changed over the years.
They found that the public perception of immigrants is still shaped by the outdated image from the 1990s, when numerous, predominantly Muslim asylum seekers from the Balkans came to Switzerland with the intention of staying permanently.
This image no longer reflects today’s reality, however.
Then and now
“We’re aware that the current discourse on immigration is often based on a stereotype that’s far removed from reality,” said Mathias Lerch, the head of EPFL’s Urban Demography Laboratory and the study’s lead author.
“Today’s immigrants are typically highly skilled and have the same cultural background as native Swiss people,” he pointed out, adding that around 60 percent of foreign nationals have a college degree.
“Our study shows that people’s perceptions need to be updated to this new profile.”
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What else does this research reveal?
While many foreigners who arrived in Switzerland in past decades have not moved back to their home countries, most immigrants today come here to pursue an education or a career opportunity.
However, unlike their counterparts in previous years, half of them leave the country after five to ten years.
There are many reasons why they go back.
For instance, “they may have always seen their time in Switzerland as temporary, such as to gain international experience.”
In addition, the spouse or partner of a highly skilled immigrant may find it difficult to find their place in the Swiss job market and pursue a fulfilling career.
Another factor may be that they have attractive job opportunities in their home countries, especially since some — like Portugal, Spain and Lithuania — have introduced incentives for their nationals to return, such as lower tax rates and start-up funding.
READ ALSO: Why so many foreign residents end up leaving Switzerland
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Why is it important to ‘re-define’ the modern immigrants?
According to Lerch, “adapting our perceptions will be important to help Switzerland better prepare for the future.”
That’s because competition for highly skilled workers — who are relatively few in number — is stiff in Europe.
Therefore, “Switzerland needs to not only keep attracting them – in order to meet the demand for labour and help postpone the onset of advanced population aging – but, crucially, to get them to stay.”
READ ALSO: Foreign workers from Europe judged essential for Switzerland
