Migration structures the Swiss company more and more. The share of the immigrant population in the country is one of the highest in the world. Nearly 2.5 million people do not have Swiss nationality, and more have foreign roots. Where do they come from, what are their profiles and trajectories? Portrait in graphics.
In total, 1.8 million foreign people immigrated to Switzerland between 2014 and 2023. Although a significant share of them leave after a few years (see the article below), net immigration cumulative after this period was still more than a million people, according to the Federal Statistics Office (OFS).
>> Read also: Migratory flow: why so many foreigners leave Switzerland every year
The phenomenon is far from new. Switzerland experienced strong immigration from the end of the 19th century, in three major successive waves: the industrialization phase until the First World War; the economic resumption of the middle of the 20th century with a peak in the 1960s; And the current era of free movement with the European Union (EU) and globalization, since the early 2000s.
Immigration is a constant object of concern for the population and the political world. Coupled at a fertility rate at half mast, it has been the main engine of demographic developments for several decades. The current face of society is a reflection.
40% of the population comes from migration
About three million people over the age of 15 were Migration from At the end of 2023, four in ten. This share has grown from year to year for ten years. It was 35% in 2012.
Among them, 2.4 million were born abroad and immigrated to Switzerland. These so -called first generation migrants represent almost a third of the adult population. It is one of the highest proportions in the world, after a few countries, including those in the Gulf or Luxembourg, or Cities-States like Singapore.
Also considered as the result of migration the 600,000 “segundos”. This second generation is made up of people born in Switzerland, but whose parents were born abroad.
One in four people is foreign
Immigration and nationality are two distinct concepts. Among all people from migration, more than a third are Swiss – by naturalization or birth. This is the case of a minority of the first generation (less than 30%), and the majority of the second generation (70%).
Conversely, several thousand people of foreign origin established in Switzerland for at least three generations – who are therefore not considered to be migration – do not have Swiss citizenship.
The acquisition of nationality in Switzerland is indeed subject to blood law and particularly restrictive. We also know that certain population categories are less naturalized than others.
In total, 27% of the permanent population of the Confederation does not have the passport.
A largely European immigration
Almost as many women as men immigrate to Switzerland (respectively 49% and 51% of new arrivals in 2023). The majority (six out of ten) of immigrants are between 20 and 45 years old, while groups under 20 and over 45 each represent around 20% of arrivals.
The nationals of countries of the European Union (EU) or member states of the European Free Trade Association (AELE) constitute the essential of immigration. During the decade 2013-2022, two thirds of foreign arrivals came from these areas.
Their share was somewhat reduced in 2023 (to 54%), largely due to taking into account immigration statistics from tens of thousands of people in refugee from Ukraine.
For comparison, the same year, barely more than 20% on average from people who immigrated to an EU/AELE country came from another member country, according to Eurostat data (this share was a third before the war in Ukraine).
In other words, Switzerland is one of the European countries that receives the most nationals and nationals of the EU/AELE.
The predominance of the latter in Switzerland is explained by the fact that they and they benefit from preferential conditions thanks to the free movement agreements. Unlike citizens of non-EU/AELE states, who are subject to strict quotas and conditions of immigration: third-party workforce must be highly qualified and meet specific needs on the labor market.
The composition of the foreign population reflects the different waves of immigration and migration policy in Switzerland. Italian and German nationalities are the most represented (respectively 14%and 13%), followed by Portuguese (11%) and French (7%) citizenship.
Outside Europe, nationals of Asian countries are the most represented (8%), followed by African citizenships (5%) and the American continent (less than 4%).
Extra UE/Aele nationalities that are mostly found in Switzerland largely overlapping those that have been in the past, or are currently, the most numerous in asylum procedures: Kosovo and Ukraine in Europe, Eritrea for Africa, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Syria for Asia.
>> Read on this subject: Asylum in Switzerland: the main figures at a glance
Mainly work immigration
However, those who immigrate in the asylum are however in the minority. In all people who have immigrated since 2014 and still present in the country at the end of 2023, 7% had a status relating to asylum (N or F) and 5% a booklet S, the status of protection of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, issued from 2022.
The vast majority of entries in the country are made with a residence permit B or L, most often associated with the exercise of a lucrative activity in Switzerland.
Work is by far the most common reason for immigration, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). In 2024, more than half of the 170,000 immigrants and immigrants (the SEM does not include people who entered via asylum procedure) came to work. They came to 95% from the EU/AELE.
Follows the family reunification (a quarter of the immigrants), the provenance of which is distributed almost in equal parts between EU/AELE and third states.
The 11,000 people spent in the asylum area to the permanent resident foreign population, that is to say people who obtained a residence permit as refugees, represented less than 7% of immigration last year.
An immigration either little or very qualified
In terms of training, people who immigrate to Switzerland generally arrive with a low or high level of training. Compared to the entire population, these are therefore overrepresented both in the lower level of training and in the level of tertiary training.
This indicator is very variable depending on the country of originindicates the NCCR on the Move, a research center of the University of Neuchâtel dedicated to migration.
Over the 2015-2018 period (the latest data studied), the highest tertiary training rates were found in nationals and nationals of extra-European developed countries, such as South Korea or the United States. Unsurprisingly, since the immigration of this workforce is subject to qualifying criteria.
The tertiary training rate was 60% on average among the immigrant population of the EU/AELE, with strong disparities according to the country. The British displayed the highest rate (almost 90%), the lowest Portuguese (22%).
But whatever their origin, the proportion of highly qualified immigrants has increased continuously in recent decades.
Pans of the economy dependent on immigration
In absolute numbers, the most important number of non-Swiss labor are found in industry (more than 200,000 people) as well as in the health and social action branch (more than 170,000). These two sectors alone employ almost 30% of the entire foreign active population.
However, it is in the hotel-restaurant and construction that the relative weight of immigration is the strongest: respectively half and almost 40% of the active workforce in these branches is not Swiss. Note that these figures only take into account the resident foreign population in Switzerland, and do not include the 400,000 border and border workers also active in various sectors of the Swiss economy.
Certain unskilled professions are mainly occupied by migrants. Based on older data, the NCCR on the move In particular, quotes domestic and household staff, plasterer, machine operators or cooking staff.
At the other end, the professions of the public service and agriculture are still very mostly occupied by a Swiss workforce.
Pauline canvas, swissinfo.ch/dk
