Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Switzerland are keen to work, have a good level of English and almost three-quarters have a tertiary education qualification, a survey shows.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Português
pt
Refugiados ucranianos querem mais trabalho na Suíça
Over 70,000 people have fled to Switzerland from Ukraine and applied for “S protection” refugee status since February 2022.
An online survey of 2,000 refugees publishedExternal link on Monday shows that many of them are keen to work and are actively looking for employment in Switzerland.
The study carried out in September and October 2022 found that 36% of respondents said they were actively looking for a job and the same percentage said they were keen to work. In all, 27% said they had taken part in an employment programme or completed a training course and 15% said they worked in Switzerland. Of those who were employed – three-quarters said they would like to work more.
More
More
How the Swiss asylum system works
This content was published on
Switzerland has a long humanitarian tradition but who can apply for asylum in the country and how?
Those gainfully employed worked on average 70% of the week – 46% worked full time; 98% had an employment contract and 2% were self-employed. And those working 70% of the week earned an average monthly salary of CHF4,477 ($4,880).
The survey also showed that 40% of the Ukrainian refugees surveyed have a good knowledge of English and 70% have completed tertiary education.
Rapid admission
The online study was carried out by the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), commissioned by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), among Ukrainians aged 16 to 59 with S protection status. In all, 8,000 people were contacted; the results were based on the answers of 2,000 people.
More
More
More than 70,000 Ukrainian refugees flee to Switzerland
This content was published on
More than 70,000 people have fled to Switzerland from Ukraine and applied for refugee status, say the Swiss authorities.
The government developed S protection status in the mid-1990s in response to the Balkan wars. The mechanism is intended to enable the rapid admission of a group of refugees, who are thus freed from long asylum procedures, including individual examinations of why they fled their country.
Since February 24, more than 7.9 million UkrainiansExternal link have fled their country for safety across Europe. This represents the largest European refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. In Europe, 4.9 million people from Ukraine have applied for official refugee protection status.
More
More
Red tape frustrates efforts to hire Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Swiss firms urge authorities to help them hire more Ukrainian refugees by granting more flexible work permits and offering language courses.
Survey: most Swiss ready to steer clear of US products due to tariffs
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss and European consumers say they are prepared to opt out of buying American products like Coca-Cola and Nike in protest at US tariffs, a study shows.
This content was published on
The World Health Organization (WHO) boss, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the Geneva-based UN agency has revised down its budget to $4.2 billion (CHF3.5 billion) for 2026-2027.
Swiss police break up major Chinese trafficking ring
This content was published on
Bern cantonal police have smashed a major human trafficking ring. Five people are accused of luring over 100 Chinese women to Switzerland to exploit them as sex workers.
‘Imminent’ landslide threat: authorities order full evacuation of Swiss mountain village
This content was published on
The local authorities have ordered the complete evacuation of the village of Blatten and its 300 residents due to "imminent" dangers.
Swiss health survey: 52% of men are overweight, 34% of women
This content was published on
The results of the Swiss Health Survey 2022 reveal clear differences between men and women: 55% of women and 44% of men live with at least one chronic illness.
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to give an additional $80 million (CHF67 million) for the 2025-2028 period to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is facing financial difficulties.
Over half a million people attended Eurovision shows or events in Basel
This content was published on
Over 500,000 people attended Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) shows or related events in Basel last week, the organisers said on Monday, celebrating its "great success".
Appenzell village is named ‘lightning capital’ of Switzerland
This content was published on
Gonten in canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes recorded the highest number of lightning strikes per square kilometre in Switzerland last year.
Swiss centre records almost 300 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year, 208 victims contacted the specialist unit FIZ Advocacy and Support for Migrant Women and Victims of Trafficking. For 59 others, an examination is still underway.
Swiss mountain village threatened by serious landslide risk
This content was published on
The situation in the mountain village of Blatten, canton Valais, remains serious due to the threat of a landslide, Swiss officials said on Sunday afternoon.
The challenges of integrating Ukrainian students into Swiss schools
This content was published on
Students from Ukraine have just started a new school semester in Swiss schools. The road to integration can be a bumpy one.
Red tape frustrates efforts to hire Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Swiss firms urge authorities to help them hire more Ukrainian refugees by granting more flexible work permits and offering language courses.
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.