The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Switzerland falls behind in attractiveness for expats

Switzerland falls behind in attractiveness for expats
Switzerland falls behind in attractiveness for expats Keystone-SDA

Switzerland is less popular than ever with foreign professionals, according to a survey by the expat platform Internations. Despite the high quality of life, many skilled workers find it difficult to make friends in Switzerland.

According to a survey published on Wednesday, Switzerland was ranked 34th out of a total of 53 countries, compared to 23rd last year.

The country continued to score points for its quality of life and wage levels. However, respondents rated the aspects of housing and social life as rather difficult.

The housing situation was a headache for many expats. Around 63% rated the cost of housing negatively.

+ Life as an expat in Swiss cities: the good news and the bad news

The overall poor result is also due to the lack of openness of the population. Expats have difficulties getting used to the local culture and do not feel welcome in the country.

At 46%, less than half felt that people in Switzerland are friendly towards foreigners. And 62% stated that it was difficult to make local friends.

Financially, however, most expats are satisfied with their situation. As many as 58% stated that they had a gross annual income of at least 100,000 dollars.

Foreign professionals also rate the technical and administrative aspects of life in Switzerland positively. For example, the easily accessible broadband internet, access to online services and the availability of administrative services on the internet were praised.

Translated from German by DeepL/ac

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch

External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Daily news

Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox.

Daily

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.

Popular Stories

News

Switzerland "more than ready" to host Ukraine summit

More

Switzerland ‘more than ready’ to host Ukraine summit

This content was published on Switzerland is more than ready to host a summit between Russia and Ukraine, says Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, highlighting Switzerland's expertise in this area.

Read more: Switzerland ‘more than ready’ to host Ukraine summit
Travailsuisse demands an average wage increase of two per cent

More

Swiss union federation demands average wage increase of 2%

This content was published on The employees' umbrella organisation Travailsuisse is demanding an average wage increase of two percent for all employees in the coming year. This would cover the rising cost of living and make up for wage shortfalls in recent years.

Read more: Swiss union federation demands average wage increase of 2%
Volunteering increases your own well-being according to survey

More

Volunteering found to increase well-being

This content was published on Volunteering can have a positive effect on mental health. According to a survey conducted in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, people who volunteer for others also strengthen themselves.

Read more: Volunteering found to increase well-being
Twint has more than six million users by the middle of the year

More

More than six million use Twint in Switzerland

This content was published on Twint is being used more and more frequently to make purchases at the till or transfer money to friends using a smartphone. By the middle of the year, the payment app already had more than six million users in Switzerland.

Read more: More than six million use Twint in Switzerland
Zelensky-Putin meeting: Macron pleads for Geneva

More

Zelensky-Putin meeting: Macron argues for Geneva

This content was published on The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin should take place in Europe, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. He is calling for it to be held in Geneva.

Read more: Zelensky-Putin meeting: Macron argues for Geneva

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

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

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