Swiss work permit hassles put off foreign workers

Willingness to relocate has declined worldwide, according to the Boston Consulting company. Keystone

Switzerland has lost some of its appeal for foreign labour, according to a survey by an American multinational management consulting firm.

Compared with 2014, Switzerland finished in eighth place – down three positions.

The authors of the Decoding Global Talent reportExternal link say the drop is due to a loss of appeal of Switzerland among citizens from Russia, China, the United States as well as Germany and Italy and increasing difficulties to receive a work permit.

However, employees from abroad still find Switzerland’s living standards attractive, according to the report of the Boston Consulting GroupExternal link. 

Stay put

Meanwhile, respondents in Switzerland have shown markedly less interest in working abroad.

The proportion of people keen to find a job outside of Switzerland dropped from 77% to 60% over the past four years.

The main motivation for working abroad remains to “broaden horizons”. The best destinations to do so are the US, Canada and Germany, according to the Swiss-based respondents.

The report is based on interviews with more than 366,000 employees and job seekers in 197 countries.

The Boston Consulting Group is an American multinational management consulting firm with 90 offices in 50 countries.