Up to 180,000 work illegally in Switzerland, survey says
A new survey published by the Swiss Forum for Migration Studies (SFMS) says up to 180,000 foreigners are working illegally in Switzerland.
The Neuchâtel-based institute carried out the survey for the federal refugee office. The SFMS warned on Friday these results must be considered with caution.
They do, however, give a better picture of the problem as a larger group of employers was polled than previously, according to the forum. More than 800 companies took part anonymously in the survey in the first six months of this year.
The employers’ opinions on illegal work varied considerably. Some companies claimed it was a widespread phenomenon, while others went as far as saying it was non-existent.
Estimates are difficult, but results collected by the SFMS indicatethat 70,000 to 180,000 foreigners work illegally in Switzerland.
Not asylum seekers
The research also shows that the majority of illegal workers are not asylum seekers. Most refugees choose not to take up illegal employment despite administrative restrictions on work permits.
Only a few thousand asylum seekers actually work illegally, according to the survey data. This does not take into account people whose permit requests have been turned down by the authorities.
The agriculture, building and hospitality sectors make the most use of illegal labour. It is estimated that these branches of the economy employ around 20,000 undeclared foreign workers.
For other sectors, the data varies too much and the samples are too small for precise estimations.
Illegal work seems to be more of a problem in Western Switzerland, where companies gave higher numbers than elsewhere. Undeclared foreign labour is up to 30% more prevalent than in other parts of the country.
Smaller companies also make use of illegal workers more frequently than large ones according to the survey.
The results will be published at the end of the year as a report.
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