Of the 1.300 people in Zug currently looking for a job, 23 percent of them are expats - one of the highest rates of expat unemployment in Switzerland. To remedy to issue, the Swiss canton is offering more events and opportunities to help internationals get back to work.

Overspecialisation leaves expats unemployed in Switzerland

According to SRF, the reason why expat unemployment is so high in Zug is that the city is home to a number of international companies that specialise in specific areas. As Zug has some of the lowest business taxes in the world, many companies and entrepreneurs are attracted to the area and set up businesses that require workers with a specific skill set.

As only a small percentage of Swiss citizens attend university, many look to import specialist expats from abroad to fulfil certain functions. The issue arises when these companies go out of business or cut jobs, leaving highly specialised expats out of work and unable to transfer to a similar job.

Zug expands English speaking careers services

To combat the significant number of expats out of work, the canton has expanded its English-speaking careers services in recent years. This can be seen in new job fairs taking place in 2022, where people can meet companies, attend English speaking lectures, receive tips for their CV and benefit from other career advice.

According to the head of the Association for Labour Market Measures (VAM) in Zug, Gianni Bomio, expats' main weakness when trying to find jobs in Switzerland is a lack of networking, which he hopes to remedy through the fairs. Unemployed commodity trader Evgeni Marzins agreed that "the fairs are often the only way to find out about vacancies."

“Zug is a very attractive job market, and if we help unemployed expats, many can gain a professional foothold here again,” Bomio said. While some specialised expats are more likely to find work abroad, in the words of Marzins, “I like it here, I want to stay. If the job search doesn't work out, I'll try my own company. Only then will I go."