Faced with the shortage of labor from which Switzerland suffers, some bosses are appealing to the Federal Council. They are asking him eventually to open the door a little more to foreign workers outside the European Union.
All economic sectors are affected by this shortage, but it is above all the sectors that require the most qualified labour, such as IT or information technology. And it is often outside Europe that the skills sought are to be found.
As in 2021, Swiss companies are authorized to hire a total of 8,500 workers this year from third countries such as China, India, the United States or Great Britain, for example.
This is a highly qualified workforce that Swiss companies can hire if they cannot find adequate personnel on the domestic market. This quota is redefined from year to year by the Federal Council.
“You have to prepare for the competition”
Discussions for 2023 are currently underway. And in view of the shortage, the director of USAM Fabio Reggazzi, who defends the interests of SMEs, believes personally that this ceiling should be revised upwards.
For the Fédération romande des entreprises (FER), the measure is not immediately necessary. But “we must prepare for this competition around skilled labor”, underlines its general manager Thursday in La Matinale de la RTS.
“I don’t think we can say today that the system meets all expectations. It has imperfections in terms of numbers and administrative procedures”, continues Blaise Matthey. “We must now see if in 2024 the situation will be such that it will penalize us economically. And there, we must not hesitate to change the system quickly”.
>> Blaise Matthey’s interview in La Matinale:
Because the competition for highly qualified labor will become ever tougher between European states and it is for Switzerland to remain competitive.
For the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), it is wrong to claim that quotas are a brake on hiring. He wants proof that these have never been fully used in recent years.
“Better qualify” people already in Switzerland
Daniel Lampart, chief economist at the Swiss Trade Union Union (USS), goes in the same direction. He considers that it is not necessary to expand this qualified staff from third countries.
“For us, it’s not a priority,” he notes. “We must first ensure that people looking for a job in Switzerland find one”. Daniel Lampart underlines that many people from third countries and already living in Switzerland have a solid education but nevertheless occupy unskilled jobs. “It would be worth qualifying them better,” he says.
>> Daniel Lampart’s interview in La Matinale:
Already administrative simplifications
Last March, the Federal Council, on the other hand, agreed to remove administrative obstacles and simplify procedures. The measure will take place by the end of the year. People who carry out qualified activities but who do not benefit from academic training, for example, will be able to obtain a residence permit more easily.
These relaxations are welcomed by the employers’ umbrella organizations. The FER speaks of a “welcome first step”.
Céline Fontannaz/oang