Foreigners who gain Swiss citizenship generally increase their annual earnings by CHF5,000 over the following 15 years compared to those who don’t get naturalised, a new study shows.
This content was published on
2 minutes
ETH Zurich/sb
Español
es
La naturalización y su relación con los ingresos personales
A team of researchers from Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and Stanford University studied the economic benefits of gaining citizenship and long-term integration.
Focusing on 46 municipalities in German-speaking Switzerland, they analyzed individuals’ social security records and pension data to compare the income of applicants before and after receiving a positive or negative naturalisation decision. For their study they concentrated on municipalities that used a secret ballot process to decide individual citizenship applications until 2003. They then focused on ballots with close results.
Their conclusions showed that gaining Swiss citizenship boosts new citizens’ annual earnings by an average of CHF 5,000 over the subsequent 15 years.
“The positive income effects are greatest for people with the lowest wages and more marginalized immigrants, particularly those from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia,” explained Dominik Hangartner, Professor of Public Policy at ETH Zurich, in a statementExternal link.
Hangartner said the study showed that naturalization has a “positive long-term effect on economic integration” and that “the earlier a person receives citizenship, the sooner they can become better integrated in Switzerland and the higher the effects of naturalization on lifetime income”.
This content was published on
Swiss citizenship is highly sought after – and correspondingly hard to get. swissinfo.ch looks at how to get the naturalisation ball rolling.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
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.
Read more
More
Becoming Swiss: ‘Where do I sign?’
This content was published on
Swiss citizenship is highly sought after – and correspondingly hard to get. swissinfo.ch looks at how to get the naturalisation ball rolling.
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.