Switzerland: cross-border workers rose again

The number of cross-border workers commuting to Switzerland for jobs has risen by more than a quarter since 2011, the Swiss statistics office (BFS) said on Thursday.

At the end of 2016, 318,500 cross-border workers were active in Switzerland, an increase of 11,300 over the previous year. Lake Geneva (37.2%), northwest Switzerland (22.8%) and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (20.2%) remain top destinations for commuters from across the border. In the same five-year period the total number of working people in Switzerland (including residents and non-residents) rose by 7.8%, to 5.1 million. 

The composition of cross-border workers was almost the same as last year, with residents in France (54.9%) taking top spot, followed by those living in Italy (22.6%) and Germany (19.3%). A small number did not live in neighbouring countries but as far afield as the UK (172 people), Poland (300) and Belgium (178), said the statistics office.

The majority of the cross-border workers were engaged in the services industry, with 40% working in either the manufacturing or automobile sector. With the signing of bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries, the majority of work permits given to cross-border workers are valid for five years, compared to the previous period of one or two years.