Educated foreigners face job hurdles: report
Immigrants with advanced education face discrimination when looking for work in Switzerland and are three times more likely than Swiss nationals to be unemployed, according to a study released on Thursday.
"Some highly qualified immigrants face discrimination on the Swiss labour market, even when they have a Swiss education," Switzerland's Federal Commission against Racism (CFR) lamented in a statement, citing a study conducted at the University of Basel.
People originally from Turkey, the Balkans and Portugal were especially discriminated against in employment, according to the study.
A full five percent of highly qualified foreign nationals living in Switzerland were unemployed, compared to just 1.5 percent of Swiss citizens with the same level of education, the study found.
The CFR called on employers to work to change that trend, recommending that they take an "integrated approach of diversity."
"Companies that aim for diversity show better results," it said, insisting that employers should ensure that all job-seekers are treated equally by allowing them to remain anonymous during the application procedure.
Switzerland counts around 1.8 million immigrants, who make up nearly 23 percent of its 7.95-million strong population.
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"Some highly qualified immigrants face discrimination on the Swiss labour market, even when they have a Swiss education," Switzerland's Federal Commission against Racism (CFR) lamented in a statement, citing a study conducted at the University of Basel.
People originally from Turkey, the Balkans and Portugal were especially discriminated against in employment, according to the study.
A full five percent of highly qualified foreign nationals living in Switzerland were unemployed, compared to just 1.5 percent of Swiss citizens with the same level of education, the study found.
The CFR called on employers to work to change that trend, recommending that they take an "integrated approach of diversity."
"Companies that aim for diversity show better results," it said, insisting that employers should ensure that all job-seekers are treated equally by allowing them to remain anonymous during the application procedure.
Switzerland counts around 1.8 million immigrants, who make up nearly 23 percent of its 7.95-million strong population.
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