“The Ukrainian women will provide new impetus in this country,” he told the SonntagsBlick newspaper. “Especially in the IT sector, the Ukrainians are more advanced than Switzerland. In addition, it is normal in Ukraine for women to study natural sciences.”
Some 23,000 Ukrainian refugees are now registered in Switzerland and are eligible for a special “S” permit that allows them to work. Most are women and children, since men aged 18-60 are required to stay and fight the Russian invasion.
Kessler says the fact that there are many women and children will also “force Switzerland to finally ensure affordable childcare”. “The city of Bern has shown with day-care vouchers that this can be done without any problems,” he continued, adding that such models were now needed urgently in the rest of the country.
This echoes the concerns of Christine Schraner Burgener, head of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). In an interview with Le Temps on Saturday, she stressed the need to tackle a shortage of childcare places so as to get Ukrainian women refugees to work in Switzerland.
More
More
Swiss welcome for Ukrainian refugees ‘going well’, says minister
This content was published on
Given the scale of the challenge, Switzerland is coping well with the influx of Ukrainian refugees, says Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
According to Kessler, Switzerland can accommodate a large number of refugees without any problems. “We have the structures and the goodwill to take in the Ukrainians,” he told SonntagsBlick. “With a little improvisation we will succeed, so long as bureaucracy does not get in our way.”
For example, he says there are many well-equipped multi-purpose rooms and schools, which should now be used creatively and made available at weekends for training. Accommodation should not be a problem either, he continues, saying that there are many under-occupied hotels and houses, and 70,000 new apartments that are empty.
Switzerland showed that it was good at integrating refugees from the Balkan wars in the 1990s, and can do so again, says Kessler. “It would be good for ‘rich Switzerland’ to be able to help refugees.”
Government plans to invest over CHF16 billion in Swiss railways by 2028
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
Federer-backed On boosts forecast after sneaker demand rises
This content was published on
Swiss footwear company On Holding AG posted strong first-quarter revenue, boosted by demand for its running shoes and new line of training apparel.
Michael Schumacher’s watches fetch CHF4 million at Swiss auction
This content was published on
Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
This content was published on
We look at why and how host families in Switzerland are being “matched” with refugees, and in some cases finding each other.
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.