More refugees are arriving in Switzerland via the Balkans and other routes. The need for civil defence facilities and multi-purpose halls to accommodate them is therefore increasing.
The government assumes that 19,000 asylum applications will have been received by the end of the year and that an additional 80,000-85,000 people from Ukraine will be in Switzerland. The Federal Office for Migration (SEM) has reacted by temporarily re-opening closed shelters and opening new facilities, an SEM spokesperson told Swiss public radio, SRFExternal link on Friday.
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Ukrainian refugees still welcome in many private Swiss homes
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The commitment of Swiss citizens who took in Ukrainian refugees is proving more persistent than expected, according to a media report.
In canton Aargau, in northern Switzerland, a shelter for refugees from Ukraine is scheduled to open on Monday. The head of the St Gallen migration office, Jürg Eberle, said the accommodation facilities in his canton were currently at around 75% capacity.
The cantonal directors of social affairs have an overview of vacant places in cantons and say the number has dropped from 9,000 at the beginning of summer to 7,000. Further centres are to be opened in the coming months, depending on demand.
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Almost 10% of eligible Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have a job
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A total of 9.4% of adults in possession of a special “S” permit are in work, with most employed in the restaurant sector.
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