Swiss immigration policy is exacerbating skills shortages and creating insecurity
2 September 2014
Switzerland’s proposed new quotas to limit the numbers of economic migrants from EU countries is compounding skills shortages in the engineering sector and creating a feeling of “insecurity” among people coming over to work from places like the UK.
Tue, 2 Sep 2014 | By Nicola Sullivan
Switzerland’s proposed new quotas to limit the numbers of economic migrants from EU countries is compounding skills shortages in the engineering sector and creating a feeling of “insecurity” among people coming over to work from places like the UK.
Swissmem, which represents the country’s mechanical and engineering industries, said an ageing workforce, falls in birth rates and moves to reintroduce EU immigration quotas, have added a “new dimension” to the skills shortage problem.
In February’s referendum, 50.3% voted in favour of a proposal that will reintroduce a strict quota system, which is already in place for non-EU nationals. This has quashed the freedom of movement agreement made between Switzerland and the EU. Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, the country has agreed many trade policies in common with EU countries.
In a statement, Hans Hess, the president of Swissmem, said that 75% of the association’s new members struggled to recruit qualified workers before the development of the policy, which was backed by voters in February’s referendum.
Over the next five years, Swissmem will have to recruit 17,000 new workers per year to fill the gaps being left by those who will retire.
Gero Knüfer, senior department manager at Hays in Switzerland, told Recruiter: “The engineering market is fairly complex and when a company is looking for a new candidate, it is not uncommon for employers to consider candidates from outside of Switzerland in order to find an individual that meets the clients’ requirements.
“As a result of the changes, some candidates feel insecure about moving to Switzerland because they are not sure what to expect. However, these are only isolated cases, generally not too much has changed and both candidates and clients are waiting for the agreed solution so they know how to plan for the future.”
Meanwhile, Tom O’Loughlin, manager of Nicoll Curtin’s Swiss office, said at the moment it was relatively easy to get visas for EU citizens, but strict quotas could make it more challenging to fill technical roles.
He told Recruiter: “With the unemployment rate being so low in Switzerland, we always find it difficult to find highly skilled technical people who are currently based in Switzerland. A strict [immigration] quota might make it even more difficult to secure them in the future.”
Switzerland’s proposed new quotas to limit the numbers of economic migrants from EU countries is compounding skills shortages in the engineering sector and creating a feeling of “insecurity” among people coming over to work from places like the UK.
Swissmem, which represents the country’s mechanical and engineering industries, said an ageing workforce, falls in birth rates and moves to reintroduce EU immigration quotas, have added a “new dimension” to the skills shortage problem.
In February’s referendum, 50.3% voted in favour of a proposal that will reintroduce a strict quota system, which is already in place for non-EU nationals. This has quashed the freedom of movement agreement made between Switzerland and the EU. Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, the country has agreed many trade policies in common with EU countries.
In a statement, Hans Hess, the president of Swissmem, said that 75% of the association’s new members struggled to recruit qualified workers before the development of the policy, which was backed by voters in February’s referendum.
Over the next five years, Swissmem will have to recruit 17,000 new workers per year to fill the gaps being left by those who will retire.
Gero Knüfer, senior department manager at Hays in Switzerland, told Recruiter: “The engineering market is fairly complex and when a company is looking for a new candidate, it is not uncommon for employers to consider candidates from outside of Switzerland in order to find an individual that meets the clients’ requirements.
“As a result of the changes, some candidates feel insecure about moving to Switzerland because they are not sure what to expect. However, these are only isolated cases, generally not too much has changed and both candidates and clients are waiting for the agreed solution so they know how to plan for the future.”
Meanwhile, Tom O’Loughlin, manager of Nicoll Curtin’s Swiss office, said at the moment it was relatively easy to get visas for EU citizens, but strict quotas could make it more challenging to fill technical roles.
He told Recruiter: “With the unemployment rate being so low in Switzerland, we always find it difficult to find highly skilled technical people who are currently based in Switzerland. A strict [immigration] quota might make it even more difficult to secure them in the future.”
