Keystone-SDA
The Swiss food and retail industries are particularly dependent on immigration, warns Migros CEO Mario Irminger in Schweiz am Wochenende.
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“Demographic change is a major issue in Switzerland. That’s why we will simply need a certain amount of immigration to maintain the current level of performance in the retail sector,” he said in an interview broadcast on Saturday. He also pointed out that many employees will be retiring in the coming years, which will further increase the need.
Irminger does not deny that immigration creates problems and challenges. But he believes that a population cap, as called for in the right-wing Swiss People Party’s ‘No to 10 million’ immigration initiative, which is due to be put to the vote on June 14, would create new problems.
Currently, 60% of the employees at the Micarna meat processing company are foreign nationals, and the figure is as high as 90% in the cutting plant, points out the manager. “We depend on them, now and in the future, to fill the gaps that await us”.
Without immigration, there is a good chance that service and supply will decline, due to shorter opening hours, fewer shops or less choice, notes the Migros manager, pointing out that there are 1,000 vacancies that are already difficult to fill. “We are mainly looking for shop staff, employees for in-house bakeries and in meat and dairy processing”.
Translated from French by AI|ds
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