The latest Labour Force Survey from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) in Bern has revealed that thousands of expats have found jobs in Switzerland over the last year. While the number of citizens in work only rose by 0,1 percent, the non-Swiss employment rate rose by over 4 percent.

Employment rises and unemployment falls in Switzerland

In a statement, the FSO said that “economic growth observed after the lifting of pandemic-related measures and the resulting increase in labour demand” has been highly beneficial for expats and internationals in Switzerland. A “strongly job market-oriented immigration” wave to Switzerland, coupled with economic growth, has meant that the number of expats in work has increased significantly since last year.

According to the latest Labour Force Survey, the number of internationals working in Switzerland rose by 4,8 percent between June 2021 and June 2022. The total number of employed people in Switzerland also rose to 5,116 million people.

Among those who have residence permits, there has been a 12,6 percent rise in employment for holders of short-term L-permits, followed by cross-border G-permits (6 percent), B-permits (5,6 percent) and C-permits (2,7 percent). Total unemployment across the country also fell by 0,9 percent over the last 12 months.

Long working hours and home office still common in Swiss jobs

The FSO also found that working hours in Switzerland have increased by 3 percent in the last year. Those in hospitality and accommodation saw their hours rise by a whopping 22 percent  - a consequence of the sector reopening after the last federal COVID measures were lifted.

Finally, the government noted that in June 2022, 38,6 percent of all workers in Switzerland do some of their work from home, a fall of 4,9 percent from the year before. In certain fields, like communications, insurance and banking, over 74 percent of employees follow a "hybrid working model."