The number of cross-border commuters working in Switzerland rose by nearly five per cent in the last three months of 2010.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies
New figures released by the Federal Statistics Office reveal some 231,800 foreign nationals were crossing the border to work in Switzerland in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The Statistics Office said economic conditions had led to the 4.6 per cent rise on-year.
Around 80 per cent of cross border commuters work in the Lake Geneva region, northwestern Switzerland around Basel or Ticino in the south, it said.
More than half of cross-border commuters come from France, while 23 per cent come from Italy and 21 per cent from Germany. Most work in the services or industry sectors. Less than one per cent work in agriculture.
The number of cross border commuters rose by more than 30 per cent between 2005 and 2010.
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