HOW TO FIND A JOB IN SWITZERLAND

There is no doubt that the Swiss labor market is one of the most attractive in the world. The country has a stable economy, high wages, comfortable conditions for employment and life. Unemployment in Switzerland is about 2 %, which is very low even for developed western European countries.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union and values its neutral status in political and economic terms very highly. This does not prevent the country to successfully develop and strengthen trade relations with other states. In Switzerland, the ideal conditions for doing business, a stable banking sector and transparent legal system.

Work in Switzerland

Working in Switzerland for foreigners in 2024 – is the opportunity to really improve their well-being and move to Europe for permanent residence. However, this option of labor migration is not available to many people. Europeans are well aware of the benefits of Swiss jobs, so competition for jobs every year is only increasing.

In addition, quotas are often fixed for migrant workers from countries outside the European Union. For the most part, only highly qualified workers, experienced managers or holders of scarce specialized professions can find jobs in Switzerland. A Swiss degree can be a great help. But first things first.

How to go to work in Switzerland

For citizens from the third countries (non-EU countries) employment in Switzerland, primarily associated with the prior search for jobs in the local labor market. It is a prerequisite for obtaining a work permit, obtaining a work visa and moving to Switzerland.

The main difficulty lies in the fact that the main trouble of hiring a foreign specialist is the Swiss employer. Therefore, for successful employment a candidate must have an indisputable competitive advantage over European applicants.

Basic requirements for foreign workers in Switzerland

Language. For a job in an international company it may be sufficient to speak English. In other cases, depending on the region, one of the official languages of Switzerland may be required. In the east and central parts it is German (Zurich, Basel, Bern), in the west – French (Geneva and Lausanne), in the south – Italian (Lugano, Bellinzona). Working in Switzerland without knowledge of the language is a difficult task. If only illegal employment and willingness to take the appropriate risks.

Qualifications. In most cases, a foreigner will need a college degree and sufficient work experience. In addition, qualifications must meet Swiss standards, which means that they must be confirmed. This is especially true in regulated professions such as medicine, law, teaching, and social work. You can check the recognition of a foreign university degree in Switzerland here.

Quotas. Every quarter, the Swiss authorities publish a certain number of quotas for jobs that can be taken by foreign workers. Accordingly, if the quotas are exhausted, it is not possible to obtain a work permit in Switzerland. Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a tendency to reduce the quotas for foreigners from third countries.

Wages and working conditions of a migrant must match the level of local workers. In addition, when issuing a residence permit in Switzerland, the migration services can check the foreigner's ability to integrate into Swiss society. Particular attention is paid to age, language skills, professionalism and other personal qualities. The availability of housing is a prerequisite.

In some cases, the requirements can be greatly simplified. For example, for scarce workers, who can make a significant contribution to the Swiss economy. Or other professionals, the recruitment of which will have a positive effect on the local labor market.

Basic requirements for foreign workers in Switzerland

By the way, family members of a Swiss citizen or a foreigner with a work permit are entitled to employment on an equal footing with locals.

Once you have found a suitable position and received a job offer, you must apply for work confirmation. To do this, the employer submits an application to the local (cantonal) employment office for review.

If the application is approved, the information is forwarded to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) for approval. All parties involved – applicant, employer, cantonal services – are informed in writing if the application is approved.

The cantonal migration service will then inform the Swiss consulate in the foreigner's country of the admissibility of the work visa. Within 14 days of arrival, the employee must register at the place of residence and can begin work.

The main difficulty is that the employer must literally convince the local authorities that there are no applicants for the vacancy among the Swiss or Europeans. To do this, information about the job must be posted in local employment offices, specialized websites, newspapers, magazines and the European resource EURES. Of course, all this takes some time, and not all employers are ready for it.

How to find a job in Switzerland. Searching for a job.

As already mentioned, the work in Switzerland for applicants from abroad is, first of all, the search for a suitable vacancy. Success largely depends on patience and the use of various sources of information. Let's consider the most effective variants of job search in the Swiss labor market.

Popular job search sites in Switzerland

jobscout24.ch

jobwinner.ch

jobup.ch

jobsuchmaschine.ch

Specialized resources

Jobs in selected cities – jobsingeneva.com, jobsinzurich.com

IT – darwinrecruitment.com, technojobs.co.uk

Executives and financiers – robertwalters.ch, alpha.ch

As an option, you can use the services of international recruitment agencies. True, not all of them work with foreigners outside the EU. The most popular are Adecco and Manpower. On the website VZAVG you can find a complete list of Swiss recruiting organizations.

The next rather effective way of finding employment in Switzerland is to look at job advertisements in local newspapers and periodicals. See the entire list of Swiss newspapers here, and here are links to the most popular ones:

24 Heures

Le Temps (Geneva)

Tages Anzeiger (Zurich)

In today's world, and Switzerland is no exception, job searches are gaining momentum with the help of social networks, primarily professional ones – LinkedIn.

Finally, you can visit Switzerland on a tourist visa and check out the various job fairs. This will not only provide an overview of the Swiss labor market, but also help you gain professional contacts and possibly even get a job in Switzerland.

If you have in mind a particular Swiss company can try to offer their services directly.

The last thing you should pay special attention to is the preparation of a resume and cover letter adapted to the Swiss employer, as well as preparing for the interview. A lot of useful information on these points can be found on the above-mentioned resources.

Jobs and salaries in Switzerland

It is no secret that Swiss salaries are among the highest in the world. In fairness it should be noted that living in Switzerland is not cheap. The official minimum wage in the country is not set. This figure is fixed in the employee's contract or in collective labor agreements between employers and trade unions.

By the way, in 2014 there was a referendum on this issue in Switzerland. As a result, 76% of the population decided that they do not need a minimum wage.

On average, the minimum wage in Switzerland in the following ranges:

For skilled workers – 2,580-4,880 euros per month For unskilled workers – 2,020-3,870 euros per month

The average wage in Switzerland in 2024, depending on the region, is about €6,530 per month before tax.

Salaries in Switzerland by profession (euro/month):

  • Insurers, financiers and bankers – 13,000-15,000

  • Engineers – 9,500

  • Medical workers – 9,000

  • Pharmacists – 8,000

  • Civil servants – 8,000

  • IT specialists – 7,500-8,000

  • Construction workers – 7,500

  • Drivers and farmers – 4,000-4,500

  • Unskilled workers – 2,000-2,500

Among the popular jobs in Switzerland in 2024 stand out the following areas:

Seasonal work in Switzerland. This includes the area of tourism, for example, working in hotels, restaurants, bars and other areas of service at one of the many ski resorts. The second option is to work in Switzerland on farms. Usually involves hard physical labor in agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Recently, the number of jobs here is very limited.

Scarce skilled professionals. This area IT, pharmaceuticals, electronics, telecommunications, technology, engineering. Sometimes it is possible to find a job in Switzerland, top managers and managers in the financial or banking sector.

© 2020–2024 WageCentre.com. All Rights Reserved.