Switzerland is famed for having a thriving economy, mostly based on its strong financial, insurance and consulting industries. Furthermore, according to the Michael Page Swiss Job Index, Swiss SMEs are generally hiring more than multinationals, which is obviously great news for expats considering moving to Switzerland.
The Michael Page Swiss Job Index also reports that demand for engineers has increased compared to this time last year, alongside a previously declining demand for IT professionals. It also notes that the metal industry and health & social services are both showing big increases.
According to the Adecco Swiss Job Market Index, the sectors in highest demand are Management & Organisation, Medical and Financial. Meanwhile, the hotel and restaurant industry showed a slight decrease of 4%.
While certain sectors, such as IT, are seeing vast improvements there is still a feeling of trepidation and uncertainty which is leading many employers to only offer short-term contracts of between three months to a year, rather than long-term or permanent contracts in an attempt to save costs. If an employee that has been offered a 90-day contract and is from the EU, they may not need a visa to work in Switzerland. Although Switzerland plans to re-impose restrictions on workers from eight Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004. These include Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia as well as the three Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Immigration from the countries will be limited to just over 2,000 for a period of at least 12 months.
If you’re moving to Switzerland, find out how our international removals team can help to arrange packing, storage and transportation on your behalf.