Editions
All stories that have been tagged with Migration
“Switzerland is under pressure to act”
- Europe
- KOF Bulletin
- Migration
KOF Director Jan-Egbert Sturm talks about Switzerland’s relationship with the European Union and analyses the opportunities and risks posed by the new negotiations for the bilateral agreements.
Between market power and labour rights: the impact of the seasonal worker statute on immigrants’ wages
- Labour Market
- KOF Bulletin
- Migration
Switzerland’s seasonal worker statute, which was abolished in 2002, tied residence permits to employers. According to the monopsony theory, such regulation gives employers greater bargaining power in wage-setting and could depress wages. This article analyses this hypothesis and suggests that immigrants’ social and economic rights – strengthened by the free movement of people – may have helped to reduce wage differentials.
The free movement of people has had no impact on the number of apprenticeships
- Labour Market
- KOF Bulletin
- Migration
Has the free movement of people had a negative impact on Swiss firms’ willingness to train apprentices? A new study shows that the number of apprenticeships did not fall during the first few years following the opening of the country’s border. However, the reasons why firms train apprentices has changed because it has become easier and cheaper for them to recruit suitable workers externally.
Long-term experience of immigration weakens nationalist parties
- Migration
- KOF Bulletin
In many countries, support for xenophobic views varies considerably from region to region. It is often strongest in areas without a large proportion of foreigners. A new study shows that a lack of local experience with immigration is partly responsible for this. Regions that have had more experience with immigration and integration in the past exhibit a much weaker nationalist backlash against new waves of immigration.
Labour market restrictions on refugees
- Migration
- KOF Bulletin
- Labour Market
Restricting employment opportunities for refugees reduces their likelihood of working and earning in the long term. This imposes high costs on refugees and host societies.
“There are winners and losers of immigration”
- Migration
- KOF Bulletin
- Labour Market
KOF economist Andreas Beerli explains in an interview why immigration is desirable from an economic point of view and in which areas Switzerland still needs to improve.
How computerisation is driving the immigration of highly skilled workers
- Free movement of people
- Innovation
- Migration
- Labour Market
- KOF Bulletin
There is a renewed shortage of skilled labour in Switzerland. A recent study published in the Journal of Population Economics shows how computerisation is driving the Swiss economy’s demand for highly skilled workers. This trend is thus having a significant impact on what sort of people are immigrating to Switzerland.