Once they arrive in Switzerland, migrants will have to start integrating into working life. Their place of education and language skills will affect both the conditions under which they join the labour force and the obstacles they encounter.
Education and requests for equivalence
In 2021, 66% of the population aged between 15 and 74 and born abroad had completed their highest level of education outside Switzerland.
Few people born and trained abroad make use of the possibility of having their foreign diploma recognised by Switzerland, in 2021 only 14% requested equivalence. 14% of people with an upper secondary education and 19% of those with a tertiary education made such a request.
Almost three quarters (73%) of those who made a request said that they had obtained the equivalence. The number of people who stated they obtained an equivalence is greater among those with a tertiary education: 82%, compared with 56% for those with other levels of education.
68% of people who did not request equivalence thought they did not need it to carry out their work.
% |
IC |
|
|---|---|---|
Request |
13.9 |
1.2 |
Equivalence obtained |
72.5 |
4.3 |
Equivalence not obtained |
22.7 |
3.9 |
Being processed |
4.3 |
2.3 |
No request |
83.2 |
1.3 |
Equivalence not needed |
68.0 |
1.7 |
Did not know request was possible |
5.5 |
0.8 |
Process too complicated, too expensive |
3.9 |
0.7 |
Request impossible |
3.8 |
0.7 |
Other reasons |
16.0 |
1.3 |
No indication |
2.9 |
0.5 |
Employment
Within the population born abroad who reported that they came to Switzerland for professional reasons, 68% had already found a job in Switzerland before migrating in 2022. The remaining third had not found a job prior to arrival.
Level of education
Nationality
The proportion of people who migrated for professional reasons and who had already found a job prior to arrival in Switzerland varies depending on their level of education: it was 81% for people with a tertiary education, 66% for those with an upper secondary education and 51% for those who completed compulsory education with no further training.
Differences can also be observed in terms of nationality. 69% of citizens of EU-27 and EFTA countries arrived with an employment contract, compared with 60% of citizens from other European countries and 68% of citizens of other countries in the world.
Language skills
Language skills are central to a migrant's economic and social integration. A good command of one of Switzerland’s national languages can be seen as both an essential requirement and the result of successful integration.
In 2021, among the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 who migrated to Switzerland after the age of four, 55% had no knowledge of or were beginners in one of the official languages of their canton of residence before their arrival in Switzerland. 7% had an intermediate level, and 38% had either main language or advanced language skills in one of the official languages of their canton of residence.
Nationality
Current language skills
Swiss citizens and citizens of EU-27 and EFTA countries were more likely than other nationality groups to have oral skills in one of the official languages of their canton of residence prior to arrival. 44% of Swiss citizens had either main language or advanced language skills in one of those languages. The rate was 49% among citizens of EU-27 and EFTA countries and 12% among nationals of other countries in the world.
In 2021, 47% of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 who were born abroad had either main language or advanced language skills in one of the official languages of their canton of residence. 33% had an intermediate level and 18% had beginner or no skills.
For more information, see the integration indicator: National language as main language
Further information
Tables
Methodologies
Place of education: Proportion of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 born abroad who completed their highest level of education abroad. Only upper secondary and tertiary education are taken into account.
Request for equivalence: Proportion of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 born abroad who requested equivalence for a foreign diploma.
Languages skills prior to immigration: Proportion of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 born abroad who immigrated to Switzerland after the age of four, by level of oral language skills in one of the official languages of their canton of residence prior to immigration in Switzerland:
- Main language or advanced level;
- Intermediate level;
- Beginner level or no knowledge.
Current language skills: Proportion of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 74 born abroad, by level of oral language skills in one of the official languages of their canton of residence:
- Main language or advanced level;
- Intermediate level;
- Beginner level or no knowledge.
Publications
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Demography and MigrationEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland