Resources for employers in Switzerland
Resources for employers in Switzerland
We use “refugees” as a term encompassing forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, such as refugees, subsidiary protection holders, temporary protection holders, asylum seekers and other persons in need of international protection.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is clearly indicated.
Why hire refugees and stateless people in Switzerland?
Employing refugees and stateless people can be a suitable measure to address labor shortages in Switzerland across different industries. The Adecco group has indicated that skills shortages in Switzerland have increased by 24% in 2023, especially in areas such as healthcare, construction, machines, etc. According to the World Economic Forum, hiring refugees is not only a way to tackle the issue of labor and skills shortages but also benefits companies by bringing diversity and connections to foreign markets for Swiss companies. Cantonal authorities offer several programs for encouraging the employment of refugees which employers can benefit from.
IKEA Switzerland is a pioneer in the employment of refugees in the country and has impacted 300 individuals through their integration programs. Currently they are running three programs specifically for refugees: 1. Pre-apprenticeship+, a federal one-year program which offers young people a fixed workload of 2 days of school and 3 days of professional training. 2. Integration internship, a six-month program which aims to be a door opener into the Swiss labor market, with 20% of the worktime used for on-the-job language training. 3. “Ready To Perform”, a six-month program aimed at refugees with advanced professional and language skills who face the obstacle of diploma recognition. IKEA Switzerland has published a toolkit based on its experience designing and running these labor market integration programs, which can be read here (please bear in mind that the toolkit was published in 2017 and some of the information may be outdated).
How many refugees and stateless people are there in Switzerland?
In 2023, There were 193,000 refugees in Switzerland and 19,000 asylum-seekers. The top three countries of origin of refugees were Ukraine (66,000), Eritrea (38,000) and Syria (20,000). By mid-2024, there were 1,260 stateless people and people of undetermined nationality in Switzerland.
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
What are the main challenges?
In May 2024, official government statistics estimated that 121 thousand individuals were in active work age. The overall occupational rate among them was 32%. The employment rate was lowest among asylum-seekers (4.5%), compared to 42.9% for provisionally admitted persons, 41.1% for recognized refugees, and 24.7% for temporarily admitted persons.
Visit the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) Statistics on Asylum page
What are the main challenges?
According to NGO representatives working with refugee jobseekers, the biggest challenge for the job market integration of refugees in Switzerland is the language. Often the knowledge of German or English is not yet sufficient for the job market. Another hurdle is the recognition of training and the amount of time required for the procedure.
At the occasion of World Refugee Day 2024 three NGOs (SINGA Switzerland, Yojoa and Association découverte) in collaboration with the Federation of Swiss Enterprises launched the first Swiss charter for inclusion of refugees in enterprises. Signatories of the charter commit to making internal practices more inclusive, engaging employees on inclusion issues, fostering an inclusive supply chain, and more. Employers can sign the charter and become part of the inclusive economy.
Sign the Charter for inclusion of refugees in enterprises here
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? | Process |
|
Asylum-seekers (N permit) |
Individuals who are seeking asylum in Switzerland and whose application is being processed. While the asylum procedure is ongoing, they are accommodated in federal asylum centers for the first 140 days. Should the procedure take longer or as soon as a decision has been taken on their case, they are attributed to a Canton. | Asylum seekers living in a federal asylum center are not allowed to work. If capacities allow, they might participate in occupational programs for community work. After allocation to a canton, asylum seekers can request permission to work, which is subject to authorization of the competent cantonal authority. | Asylum seekers may be permitted to work temporarily under the following conditions: 1) an employer must apply for permission, 2) the economic and employment situation allow it, 3) the conditions regarding salary, working conditions and precedence are met, and 4) the person concerned is not subject to a final expulsion ruling. The application for a work permit must be submitted by the employer to the competent cantonal migration or employment office where the job is based. |
| Recognized refugees (B permit) | Persons who have been granted asylum because they fear persecution in the country of origin. | Refugees who have been granted asylum have the right to work. | There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. |
| Stateless persons (B permit) | Persons who are not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law or have lost their nationality through no fault of their own and have no means of regaining it. | Recognized stateless persons are regarded as equivalent to refugees recognized under the Refugee Convention of 1951 who have been granted asylum, and therefore have the right to work. Applicants for statelessness status do not have the right to work. |
Stateless people have the right to work in Switzerland. There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. Stateless applicants do not have the right to work in Switzerland. |
| Provisionally admitted persons (F permit) |
These are either:
|
Provisionally admitted persons have the right to work. | There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. |
| Beneficiaries of temporary protection (S permit) | Refugees from Ukraine who were granted temporary protection status S. Temporary protection will remain valid until revoked by the Federal Council. | Beneficiaries of temporary protection are allowed to work, subject to prior authorization by the competent cantonal authorities. | The application for work authorization can be made by the employer immediately after protection status S has been granted. Salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. |
Bear in mind:
1. For regulated careers (e.g. in healthcare, education, etc.), refugees need to have their qualifications recognized and/or prove their language capabilities in a Swiss national language.
2. Refugees must notify the competent authorities not only in the case of employment, but also if they take training and education courses, traineeships, or apprenticeships.
3. One exception to the above rules is the case of working from home exclusively for a foreign employer. This is not considered gainful employment subject to a work authorization. However, income from such work is considered to be earned income and must be declared to the Federal Tax Administration if required.
How do I connect with refugee and stateless talent?
The Swiss authorities will likely refer employers to mandated NGOs in their area. In addition, companies can make use of existing job matching platforms: At the national level these include Path2Work, a platform launched by ETH Zurich and University of Lausanne which connects refugees with job vacancies sourced through x28, and Jobmate, a platform for job coaches. Some examples at the cantonal level include FRintegration, a platform for exchange between job coaches assisting refugees and companies in the canton of Fribourg, and Refugees@Work, an information page for employers in Geneva.
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
The most frequent challenge for refugees and stateless people is the language barrier. One of the best practices possible is for employers to offer or subsidize language classes in the working language of the company (English, German, French, etc.). In addition, when it comes to qualifications recognition, employers can provide candidates with legal or administrative assistance in order to handle the official recognition processes.
Useful resources
Subsidies
The pilot program "Financial subsidies for the labor market integration of refugees and temporarily admitted persons" provides subsidies for employers in all cantons who employ refugees who require initial training. Employers are compensated for the exceptional training effort for a limited period of time, while the refugee can learn the required skills.
Job matching
Employers can reach out to competent authorities at the federal level such as the State Secretariat for Migration or offices in the Canton where they are offering vacancies in order to get matched with suitable candidates from refugee background. The cantonal refugee integration support centers offer job coaching support and matching for refugees. Finally, regional placement services (RAV) can also match employers with jobseekers who may be of interest to them.
Pre-apprenticeship
The Integration pre-apprenticeship (INVOL) is the main program for encouraging the employment of refugees through a one-year apprenticeship. In 2021/2022, 750 participants joined the program and around 55% of them could later access vocational training. More information about the program can be found here.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) offers a wide variety of reports and publications on its website in English, German, and French.
A list of cantonal contact points for employers of refugees and provisionally admitted persons.
The UNHCR Switzerland page on Job Market Integration features several articles and reports of interest for employers.