Living and Working in Switzerland
David Hampshire
Living and Working in Switzerland, first published in 1988 and now in its 13th edition, is the best-selling and most comprehensive book available about daily life – and is essential reading for newcomers. What's it really like Living and Working in Switzerland? Not surprisingly, there's a lot more to it than cuckoo clocks, skiing and yodelling! This book is guaranteed to make your life in Switzerland easier and more enjoyable, irrespective of whether you’re planning to stay for a few months or indefinitely. Adjusting to day-to day-life in Switzerland just got a whole lot simpler!
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Other guides for Switzerland
Extracts from the book…
Finding a Job
Finding a job in Switzerland isn’t as difficult as official Swiss policy may lead you to believe, although obtaining a permit can prove a problem. Switzerland is known for its restrictive immigration policy and permit quota system, although the rules regarding executives and certain ‘specialists’ have been eased. By 2014 a bilateral agreement between the European Union (actually the European Economic Area/EEA, which comprises the EU countries plus the EFTA countries) countries and Switzerland will allow the free movement of people and remove the need for permits (there are currently no work permit quotas for most EU nationals).
Switzerland’s economic success is largely dependent upon the influx of foreign labour and foreigners are found in almost every walk of life. Many companies have a sizeable foreign labour force and foreigners fill almost half the top positions at the 25 largest Swiss companies. Foreign employees in Switzerland number over 1mn or some 26 per cent of the workforce.
Labour relations in Switzerland are excellent and there are fewer strikes than in any other industrialised country. Increased global competition has meant that a large number of companies have streamlined their workforces over the last few years and many have moved their production and research facilities abroad (mainly to eastern Europe) to reduce costs. However, Switzerland has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe and a ‘jobless Swiss’ used to be an oxymoron – in October 2008, unemployment was 2.5 per cent. GDP growth was 3.3 per cent in 2007 and 2.3 per cent in mid-2008; the forecast for 2009 is less than 2 per cent, which many think is optimistic.
In October 2008, there was a record resident foreign population of over 1.65mn or around 22 per cent of the population (the city of Geneva has the highest concentration at 43 per cent). This figure doesn’t include employees of international organisations, foreign embassies and consulates (and their families), or seasonal workers and asylum seekers, who together total a further 100,000. In addition to resident foreigners, over 200,000 people cross the border each day to work in Switzerland.
At the end of 2007, over 85 per cent of Switzerland’s permanent resident population was of European origin, two-thirds originating from EU member states. Italians made up for the largest contingent of foreigners with 18.2 per cent, followed by Germans (12.7 per cent), Serbia and Montenegro (11.7 per cent), and Portuguese with 11.4 per cent. Almost a quarter of foreigners (22.3 per cent) were born in Switzerland and belong to second (nicknamed Secondos) or third-generation families. Some 30 per cent of resident Italians but only 5.6 per cent of Germans were born in Switzerland. Almost half of the foreign resident population (46 per cent) have been in Switzerland for over 15 years and some 90 per cent of the Italian and Spanish foreigners have permanent resident status in Switzerland.
The employment of foreigners, albeit an economic necessity, is something of a political hot potato. The Swiss generally live and work harmoniously with their foreign ‘guests’, although there’s a vociferous minority who would like to see the number of foreign workers drastically reduced. During the last 30 years they’ve gained sufficient support to stage a number of national referendums in an attempt to reduce the resident foreign population. All have been defeated but they’ve served to strain relations between the Swiss and resident foreigners.
Most positions held by foreigners fall into two main categories: seasonal jobs for a maximum of nine months a year and permanent staff positions. Seasonal workers include hotel and catering staff, building and construction workers, factory hands, farm workers, and most people in the tourist industry. Such jobs are available throughout Switzerland and aren’t usually difficult to find. Permanent jobs are generally reserved for senior managers, professionals and specialists (e.g. computer experts and engineers), and require annual residence permits. Residence permits are also required by au pairs, students and trainees, for who there are no quota restrictions (although permits are generally valid for one year only).
Health
Switzerland spends around 11 per cent of its GDP, over SFr. 53,000bn a year, on health, which is one of the highest percentages in the OECD. Although Swiss health insurance is expensive (only North Americans spend more on health care) and becoming more so every year, the country’s health services are excellent and among the best in the world. Switzerland has a wealth of modern hospitals, highly-trained doctors (the highest ratio of doctors to patients in the world) and experienced nurses, and employs the latest equipment and medical techniques. There are generally no waiting lists for operations or hospital beds and the standard of treatment is second to none. If you must get sick, you could hardly choose a better place – provided of course that you’re insured or can afford to pay the bill!
Two yardsticks used to measure the quality of healthcare worldwide are the infant mortality rate and life expectancy, and Switzerland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world (around four deaths in the first year for every thousand live births) and its life expectancy of nearly 84 for women and 79 for men is exceeded only by Iceland, Japan, France and Spain.
Nevertheless, the famous Swiss air isn’t always as fresh as the guidebooks would have you believe. Despite strenuous efforts to reduce pollution, impure air and high ozone levels in summer in the major Swiss cities are causing health problems (mainly respiratory ailments and allergies), particularly among children. However, compared with what passes for fresh air in most countries, Swiss city air is pure oxygen. Pollution is also caused by smokers, as Switzerland rates highly in the world smoking league (per head of population) and has a relatively high proportion of young women smokers. The main causes of death in Switzerland are cardiovascular disease (around 37 per cent) and cancer (some 26 per cent). You can safely drink the water in Switzerland, but the wine and beer taste much better.
The Swiss are prominent in the lucrative ‘immortality’ business, which includes plastic surgery, rejuvenation and regeneration clinics, spa treatment centres and therapies by the dozen. Cellular rejuvenation (a snip at around US$10,000) is especially popular, where patients are injected with live sheep cells – Switzerland abounds with geriatrics prancing around like spring lambs. Complementary medicine is also popular in Switzerland (particularly homeopathy) and is usually paid for by Swiss health insurance.
Hay fever sufferers can obtain the daily pollen count (Pollenbericht, pollen bulletin/indice de pollen) from March to July via the Swiss television teletext service, daily newspapers and at www.meteoschweiz.ch (under Health).
Switzerland has courted controversy in recent years with its assisted suicide law and is one of the few countries in the world where it’s legal (see www.dignitas.ch).
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PRICE: �15.95
PUBLICATION: October 2010
EDITION: 13th
PAGES: 368
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: 230mm x 155mm
COLOUR PHOTOS: 150 +
