Steady increase of cross-border workers continued in 2020
"Customs": a border crossing at Geneva.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
The number of cross-border workers plying their trade in Switzerland has more than doubled since the mid-1990s. The rising trend continues, increasing by over 4% between 2019 and 2020.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/dos
Português
pt
Aumento constante de trabalhadores transfronteiriços continuou em 2020
At the end of 2020, some 343,000 cross-border workers were employed in Switzerland, up from 329,000 in December 2019, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Thursday.
This amounts to 6.7% of the active population in Switzerland.
As before, the majority live in neighbouring countries: 55% in France, 23% in Italy, and 18% in Germany. Likewise, they mostly work in border regions. While canton Geneva has the highest number of cross-border workers (90,000 or a quarter of the total workforce), Ticino has the largest proportion (29% of the workforce).
Most cross-border workers are active in the service sector (67%, compared with 77% of the local workforce), and they are over-represented in industry (33% as opposed to 21%).
More
More
Is Switzerland’s cross-border workforce at a crossroads?
This content was published on
Swiss salaries are a draw for cross-border workers. But Switzerland’s job market doesn’t always live up to expectations.
In the report published on Thursday, the FSO also provided some context about the steady increase in cross-border workers in Switzerland over the past decades, noting that they have more than doubled since 1996, when there were 140,000.
Since 2004, the FSO states, this group has increased by an average of 4.4% each year.
Various factors have driven this, including the introduction of freedom of movement with Schengen countries in 2002, as well as economic growth in Switzerland over the past decades.
The resident Swiss population has increased from some 6.5 million in 1990 to 8.5 million today.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
What lies ahead for Switzerland: an economic outlook for 2025
Swiss cowfighting championship at risk of being cancelled
This content was published on
Despite growing popularity, the national Hérens cowfighting championship could be cancelled in 2025 for lack of organisers.
Swizerland will keep building tunnels, says construction firm chief
This content was published on
Implenia CEO André Wyss emphasised the importance of tunnel construction in view of urbanisation and the growing transport needs in Europe.
Study: Cross-border workers do not steal Swiss jobs
This content was published on
Cross-border commuters working in Switzerland do not replace the local workforce. On the contrary, they can have a beneficial impact on the Swiss labour market.
Switzerland sees record number of cross-border workers
This content was published on
Ticino and Geneva in particular saw marked increases in the number of workers crossing the border, thanks partly to a stable Swiss economy.
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.