Almost 50% of staff working in care professions in Switzerland want to leave their jobs, according to report by trade union Unia. The reasons: poor working conditions, stress and lack of work-life balance.
Unia said the results of survey of around 1,200 people working in long-term care in places like old-age and nursing homes were “alarming”: 47% of those asked could not envisage staying in the profession until retirement; 34% were unsure. 86% felt tired and burned out.
The main reason was pressure arising from working conditions, like staff shortages, and health problems, physical and stress-related, linked to their jobs. “It is even more alarming that most of those asked were 30 years old or younger, many of them only recently working in the profession,” Unia said in a statement on Friday.External link
In all, 87% felt they did not have enough time for their charges.
Unia is therefore calling for more staff and better working conditions to make the profession more attractive. “It needs better pay, a better shift system, but to achieve this we need better financing of care, both of the profession and of old-age and nursing homes,” Samuel Burri, head of the care sector at Unia, said.
Heidi Hanselmann, head of health department in canton St Gallen and deputy director of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Health Directors, commented on the fact that more than 60% of those surveyed were under 30. She told 10 vor 10 that companies should – any many already did – offer more modern, attractive working practices that would help combine family and work.
The head of the old people’s home in Engelberg, central Switzerland, featured in the television report said that in canton Obwalden they could afford good staff cover because of adequate financing.
But she could see in cases where there was not enough financing, pressure to cut costs mount and this impacts staff, becoming a negative spiral that is difficult to leave.
More
More
Meeting the urgent need for care in nursing homes
This content was published on
It’s mid-February – Valentine’s Day, to be exact – and a dozen seniors sit at a table strewn with chocolate hearts. A middle-aged staff member is testing their memories. “Do you remember what gifts you gave when you were in love?” she asks, looking around the table. She addresses the group members one by one.…
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Algerian to face trial in Switzerland for ties to Islamic State
This content was published on
A 51-year-old Algerian man has been charged by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office for involvement in the banned terrorist group.
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
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.
Read more
More
Home-care services increase, nursing home stays stagnate
This content was published on
Better at home than in a home: almost 350,000 people made use of assistance and home-care services (Spitex) last year, 10,000 more than in 2016.
In-demand care staff often leave profession after five years
This content was published on
The rest, according to longitudinal research published on Friday, are working elsewhere in the health care field and a fifth of those surveyed have left it altogether. The Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education and Training and OdASanté, the association for care workers, studied 2,000 such workers over five years to track their career choices. The…
This content was published on
The monthly rate for round-the-clock care can range from SFr10,000-30,000 ($10,950-32,800) – assuming that the workers are local. Enter workers from abroad, who are willing to do the work for a fraction of that price plus room and board. Although there are no figures available, the number of foreign care workers on duty in Switzerland…
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.