A record number of people living abroad are now working in Switzerland, new data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has revealed. The number of cross-border commuters has doubled in the last 15 years, with most filling jobs in French-speaking regions.

Cross-border workers in Switzerland number over 400.000 people 

According to the FSO data, 403.000 people held Swiss cross-border residence permits at the end of September 2024, a new milestone and a 2,4 percent increase compared to the same time in 2023. The population, now the size of Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Lugano and Thun combined, has doubled in the last 15 years.

The majority of cross-border workers (57,4 percent) were registered as living in France, followed by Italy (23 percent), and Germany (16,4 percent). Today, Geneva employs more than a quarter of cross-border workers at 112.092 people. Other prominent locations for cross-border workers to ply their trades are (perhaps unsurprisingly) border areas, the Lake Geneva region, southern Ticino, major Swiss cities and ski resorts.

The rise of cross-border working is perhaps not surprising, given how high salaries in Switzerland are compared to those in surrounding nations. With worker shortages only expected to get worse, it is likely that many Swiss companies will start to rely on cross-border staff to fill the gaps. 

French-speaking Switzerland more keen to use cross-border staff

The figures also showcase that a new Röstigraben is emerging, with French-speaking areas seeing their cross-border working populations rise dramatically compared to German-speaking regions. For instance, in 1999 Basel and Geneva had the same number of cross-border workers at 26.000 people, today their populations' number 35.000 and 112.092 people respectively.

Canton Thurgau has seen its cross-border working population rise from 2.000 at the turn of the millennia to 6.000 today. By contrast, during the same period the population working in Jura jumped from 2.000 to 12.000, numbers in Canton Vaud increased fivefold and cross-border commuters in Neuchâtel now outnumber those in Zurich.

When contacted by RTS, financial departments in Basel and Jura were at a loss to explain the phenomenon. Former Geneva Employers’ Federation representative Blaise Matthey argued that major differences remain between German and French Swiss entrepreneurs. He claimed that Swiss German employers “have a certain aversion” to employing Germans compared to French-Swiss companies employing the French.

That aside, he also noted that authorities in German-speaking Switzerland tend to offer more apprenticeships and vocational training, which helps fill skilled positions. The staff shortages in the German labour market could also make willing cross-border employees harder to come by.

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