Ukraine refugees work in restaurant and IT sectors
Swiss authorities say they have registered at least 54,000 refugees from Ukraine, but only about 1,000 of them have received a work permit.
The State Secretariat for MigrationExternal link said more than 51,000 of the refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine have been granted a special S status so far.
Most of the work permits went to the hotel and restaurant industry and for the IT and consultancy sector ahead of education and agriculture.
In March, the Swiss government announced it was granting Ukrainian refugees a collective protection under a special status.
They will receive a one-year temporary residence permit, renewable for as long as the war continues. They will be entitled to accommodation, social benefits and medical care.
They may also join the labour market immediately and can bring their families to Switzerland. Children are able to attend school.
Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter on Wednesday met a Ukrainian woman working in a restaurant kitchen near the capital, Bern.
Keller-Sutter said the total number of Ukrainian refugees with a paid job was probably twice as high as officially registered.
She said she hoped that refugees with the special status could find employment in Switzerland.
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Switzerland’s S permit for refugees from Ukraine
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