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

Cross-border worker numbers swell in Switzerland

Cars queue at French-Swiss border
Cars queue up at the border between Switzerland and France. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

The number of people crossing the border to work in Switzerland from neighbouring countries rose by 18.6% between 2017 and the end of last year.

This trend was reinforced in the last three months of 2022, a period that saw cross-border worker numbers swell to 380,000 – a 6% increase compared with the same period in 2021.

+ Read how foreign workers are boosting the Swiss workforce

The increase was driven primarily by French workers, followed by Italian, German and Austrian residents, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Tuesday.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, 56.3% of all foreign cross-border commuters were resident in France, 23.5% in Italy, 17.1% in Germany, 2.3% in Austria and 0.2% in Liechtenstein.

Most cross-border workers have jobs in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Jura and Ticino.

The Covid-19 pandemic did little to dent the enthusiasm of cross-border workers coming to Switzerland. Numbers rose from 339,000 at the end of 2019 to 341,300 the following year, 359,000 in 2021 and 380,000 by the end of last year.

More


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Valais National Councillor Bregy is the new President of Mitte Schweiz

More

Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party

This content was published on Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy is the new President of the Centre Party. The delegates elected him as the successor to Gerhard Pfister on Saturday in Bern without discussion.

Read more: Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party
A worldwide call for active neutrality launched from Geneva

More

Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva

This content was published on A number of players have launched a worldwide appeal for active neutrality in Geneva at a time when the major powers are taking a tougher line. The city is competing with Vienna to attract an international congress on this issue in 2026.

Read more: Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva
Macron invites President Keller-Sutter

More

Macron invites Swiss president to Paris

This content was published on Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, has been invited to Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Read more: Macron invites Swiss president to Paris

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