Overall, 3,130 Ukrainian refugees have found employment thanks to the special S protection status that allows them to live and work in Switzerland for a year. Nearly a quarter of them (23%) are active in the restaurant industry, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said on Thursday. In addition, 17% work in the “planning, consulting, IT” sector. Agriculture and education each account for 8% of those with the S status.
A total of 33,379 beneficiaries of this protection status were of working age in the week of August 1, according to the SEM. The share of working refugees is therefore 9.4%. However, the number of work permits issued is actually higher, as they are only registered with a delay, says the SEM.
According to the latest figures published Thursday on Twitter by the State Secretariat, 61,424 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Switzerland since the beginning of the war; 59,411 of them have obtained the S permit.
The protection status “S” was created following the Balkan conflicts in the 1990s but it was never used until now. It allows refugees to live and work in Switzerland for a year with an option to extend if necessary.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Nearly 2,500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in Geneva and Lausanne
This content was published on
Some 2,500 people demonstrated in Geneva and Lausanne on Saturday to demand the release of the more than 10,000 Palestinians detained by Israel.
Karin Keller-Sutter to Trump: ‘Our companies want security’
This content was published on
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter made the last phone call to Donald Trump before his about-face on tariffs. Did she help change his mind?
Ambassador: Israel and Switzerland ‘don’t agree on everything’
This content was published on
Israel's ambassador to Bern maintains that Switzerland and her country enjoy friendly relations. But criticises certain Swiss positions within UN bodies.
This content was published on
Ukrainians fleeing the war will be granted an S permit upon arrival in Switzerland. It's the first time this permit will be issued.
This content was published on
Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed with open arms by Switzerland. This breaks with recent tradition in welcoming other refugees.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.