Every Second Immigrant Comes to Switzerland for Work

In the previous article of our blog series on migration, we examined how many people move to Switzerland, where they come from and how they affect the country’s population growth. In this article, we take a step further. We look at what draws people to Switzerland, what qualifications they bring – and we highlight an aspect that often disappears in migration statistics: the dynamics of arrivals and departures.

People migrate to Switzerland for many reasons. In the 1990s, family reunification was the dominant pathway. Today, employment leads the way. Since 2010, 65% of all EU/EFTA nationals who immigrated to Switzerland have done so for work. That share has gradually increased, reaching 71% in 2024. The picture is markedly different for migrants from third countries. Among them, only about one enters Switzerland primarily for employment. Overall, 94% of foreign nationals who have immigrated for work since 2010 come from EU/EFTA countries.

Family reunification is the second most common reason for immigration. Nearly one in three residence permits is issued for this purpose. For third-country nationals, it is in fact the leading pathway. In roughly 60% of cases, the permit is granted for a spouse; in about 40%, for children joining their parents. Other relatives account for just 0.2% – roughly 100 people per year.

Both Swiss citizens and foreign nationals make use of the right to family reunification. Among immigrants from third countries, about one-third of family reunification cases (34%) involve relatives joining native-born or naturalized Swiss citizens. Among EU/EFTA migrants, the share is only 6%.

Still, the official statistics on immigration motives warrant caution. They are based on the legal grounds for issuing a residence permit, which do not always reflect a migrant’s true primary motive. A person, for example, may take up employment in order to live with a partner already residing in Switzerland. In a recent survey, only 57% of EU/EFTA migrants cited employment as their main reason for moving – roughly 10 to 15% age points fewer than suggested by administrative data.

Regardless of the initial reason for entering the country, however, post-arrival patterns reveal considerable mobility. Many migrants who did not originally come for work enter the labor market relatively soon after arriving.

Qualifications: A Rising Share of Highly Educated Migrants

Until the mid-1990s, only 10 to 20% of immigrants held a university degree, and roughly half of foreign nationals entered Switzerland without formal vocational training. Over time – and particularly with the introduction of free movement of persons – the structure of immigration has shifted substantially. Today, European workers moving to Switzerland tend to have educational attainment levels comparable to those of Swiss citizens. Migrants from third countries, on average, have lower qualifications. Yet among those who have arrived in recent years for employment, more than half now hold a tertiary degree – whether from a university, a university of applied sciences or from advanced vocational training.

Foreign nationals are, however, overrepresented at both ends of the qualification spectrum. Educational systems also play a role. Countries without dual vocational training systems tend to produce more tertiary graduates and fewer individuals with upper-secondary vocational qualifications. Demographics matter as well: many European migrants are younger, and educational attainment has risen over time. Today, 54% of Swiss residents aged 25 to 39 hold a tertiary degree, and another 43% have completed upper-secondary education.

Mobility: Many Arrive – Not All Stay

Beyond qualifications, the length of stay is crucial. Public debate often revolves around net migration – the balance between arrivals and departures – but this obscures the underlying churn. Between 2000 and 2024, 3.5 million foreign nationals moved to Switzerland. Over the same period, nearly 1.9 million left the country again. Short-term stays of less than twelve months are not even captured in these figures.

A closer look at those who entered the permanent resident population in 2009 reveals the extent of mobility. After two years, one in four had already left Switzerland. After five years, one in three had departed. Fifteen years after arrival, just over half were still living in the country, and roughly 15% had become naturalized citizens.

How long migrants remain depends in part on their reason for immigrating and their country of origin. Those who arrive for education or employment often stay only temporarily – particularly migrants from outside the EU/EFTA area. By contrast, individuals granted protection through the asylum system generally remain in Switzerland for the long term.