MONET 2030: Employment rate by migration status

SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal description

"The international community has made significant strides towards lifting people out of poverty. […] However, inequality still persists and large disparities remain in access to health and education services and other assets. Additionally, while income inequality between countries may have been reduced, inequality within countries has risen. […]"

Swiss target 10.2: Switzerland promotes social cohesion.

Significance of the indicator
The indicator shows the economic activity rate of persons aged between 15 and 64 in the permanent resident population according to migration status. Integration should allow foreign nationals who are in Switzerland legally and permanently to participate in economic, social and cultural life so that all residents of Switzerland can enjoy the same opportunities, irrespective of their origin. Integrating people with a migration background in the economy and society is therefore a step towards sustainable development.

Help for interpretation
This indicator does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employment.

International comparability
This indicator is comparable with Eurostat’s migrant integration indicators (employment rates by country of birth, age and sex).

Synthesis

Comments: Calculation of the variation in % on the difference between the population with and without a migration background.

This indicator shows the share of economically active persons aged 15 to 64 in the reference permanent resident population in full-time equivalents by migration status.

The indicator is based on the permanent resident population by migration status used to measure integration:

The population without a migration background comprises all persons born Swiss in Switzerland or abroad to at least one parent born in Switzerland, and persons born in Switzerland or naturalised Swiss whose parents were both born in Switzerland. This includes persons from subsequent generations.

The population with a migration background includes all foreign nationals (irrespective of their generational status), first or second- generation naturalised Swiss (born abroad or born in Switzerland to a least one parent born abroad), and persons born Swiss to parents who were both born abroad.

The economic activity rate is calculated by the FSO as part of the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS). The data broken down by migration status are available from the reference year 2012.

Economically active persons
The term “economically active persons” refers to employed and unemployed based on ILO definition. This concept is also expressed in economic terms as “labour supply”.

Unemployed based on ILO definition
The term “unemployed based on ILO definition” refers to people aged 15-74 who:

were not gainfully employed during the reference week and
were actively looking for work during the previous four weeks and
were available for work.

This definition complies with the recommendations of the International Labour Office and the OECD as well as with the EUROSTAT definition.

Employed persons
The term “employed persons” refers to all persons aged 15 and over who, during the reference week:

worked at least one hour for payment
or who, although temporarily absent from their work (due to illness, holidays, maternity leave, military service, etc.) had a job in an employed or self-employed capacity
or who worked in the family business without payment.

This definition covers the following, irrespective of the place where this work is done (in a company/business, at home or in another private household): employees, self-employed persons, persons working in family businesses, apprentices, recruits, junior officers and officers who, while undergoing basic or further military training, retain their jobs and employment contracts, school pupils and students who work in parallel with their studies, and retired persons who continue working. People who only do housework in their own households, assist others free of charge, or carry out other voluntary activities are not regarded as employed persons.

Swiss target 10.2: Switzerland promotes social cohesion.

International target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.