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Swisster: "Swiss Quota for Non-EU Workers Stays Unchanged"

Dec 15, 2008 @ 06:17

Swiss quota for non-EU workers stays unchanged

by Malcolm Curtis

Geneva - 12 December 2008 | 15:50

Multinational companies in Switzerland seeking to hire highly skilled employees from non-European Union countries – such as the US, Canada or Australia – are limited by quotas set by the Swiss government. The federal cabinet today left those limits for 2009 unchanged from this year – allowing a total of 4,000 non EU workers in the country with renewable permits lasting a year.

The quota for highly skilled workers allowed into Switzerland from countries outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 2009 remains unchanged from this year. The Swiss federal cabinet agreed today to maintain the numbers – around 4,000 year-long permits and 7,000 permits for short-term assignments. The permits are used by companies – including many multinationals - to hire skilled employees from outside the EU, including Americans.

The quota is in addition to people employed with the United Nations and its related organizations in Geneva, as well as diplomats across the country. It is also comes on top of an arrangement begun in July to allow a limited number of workers into the country from Romania and Bulgaria, countries which joined the EU last year. Switzerland has signed free movement of labour agreements that extend to 25 of the union’s 27 members.

Under the terms signed with the EU, if this right is not extended to Romania and Bulgaria by mid-May 2009 the entire labour deal between the union and Switzerland will be suspended. Switzerland also has reached labour agreements with the EFTA, of which it is a member. The other countries in the association are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Voters in Switzerland head to the polls in February to decide whether to ratify the arrangement with the EU. The Swiss People’s Party is the only party in the country to come out against the deal. In the meantime, the cabinet has approved a quota that would allow up to 282 highly skilled workers into the country from Romania and Bulgaria in 2009. Up to 1,006 permits can be further issued for short-term workers from the two countries.

Only people with valid work contracts, who are self-employed or who do not depend on social welfare are allowed into the country under the free labour agreements. Almost one million EU citizens live in Switzerland, with thousands of others commuting across the border from countries such as France, Italy and Germany to work in the country. Companies have one other avenue to hire non-European workers: prospective candidates who have earned diplomas from Swiss universities can be hired for scientific research and positions that are of "economic benefit" to Switzerland, but employers must prove the need for such personnel.

Economiesuisse, a Swiss business lobby group, has concluded that workers from the EU are beneficial for the nation, creating wealth and adding around five billion francs to the Swiss economy annually. But opening up the country completely to other foreign workers does not yet appear to be in the cards.

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