Language spoken by situation (family and professional)

This indicator shows which languages people use in their personal, family and work spheres. A large number of young people not speaking a local language at home, for example, would indicate a potential need for help or support in acquiring language skills.

In Switzerland, from 2015 to 2016, 83.3% of the permanent resident population aged 15 and over used at least one local language at home. Among first generation migrants, the rate is 52.6% compared with 87.0% in the second and subsequent generations.

At work, the rate is 96.5%. In this sphere, it is highest among people with no migration background and in the population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations, at more than 98% of the employed population. The first generation is not greatly different, with a rate of 91.5%.

In the population with a migration background, the proportion of people using at least one local language at home is lower in the German-speaking region (40.0% in the first generation, 83.7% in the second generation) than in the French-speaking region (73.2% and 93.0% respectively) and the Italian-speaking region (86.7% and 95.8%). At work, the Italian-speaking region has the highest rate in the population with a migration background from the first generation, with 96.4% of the employed population. However, in the German and French-speaking regions, the rates are, nonetheless, above 90%. In the second generation, the highest rate of people using at least one local language at work is in the German-speaking region (98.8%), followed closely by the rates in the French and Italian-speaking regions (98.1% and 97.6% respectively). In the Romansh-speaking area, the lowest rate can be found with 21.0% speaking a national language at home and 29.2% speaking a national language at work among people with a migration background from the first generation. The population without a migration background also has the lowest rate there with 80.3% and 70.4% of persons talking Romansh at home and at work, respectively.