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Polish economic hub: a threat to Swiss jobs?

Over the past ten years, Wroclaw in Poland has become such an important economic hub that direct flights there are now offered from Zurich. (RTS/swissinfo.ch) 

Swiss International Air Lines is running three round trips a week. From April, another airline, Hungary’s Wizz Air, will start direct flights from Basel. It’s all part of a general increase in air traffic in the university city of Wroclaw of more than 20% a year. 

At the same time, major Swiss banks are boosting their presence in Wroclaw. Credit Suisse now has 4,500 employees there; UBS has 3,500. The pharmaceutical industry is also experiencing strong growth, but Lukasz Czajkowski, an economic promoter in the Polish city, says this should not present a threat to Switzerland as “there is room for two pharmaceutical hubs in Europe”.

The reason for the area’s economic growth is the presence of cheap but highly skilled labour, tax breaks and a good infrastructure. Swiss public television, RTS, visited the Wroclaw base of Swiss software developer Axxiome to learn more about what it’s like doing business there.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR