What attracts foreigners to Switzerland’s French-speaking region?
According to a report by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics, foreigners favour the French and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland to live in over the eastern and central areas of the country – but why is that?
Many foreigners are drawn to Switzerland thanks to factors like the high quality of living, but some language regions – such as the Romandy – prove more popular than the rest.
According to figures for the end of 2021 compiled by the Federal Office for Statistics recently, almost 26 percent of the permanent resident population in Switzerland were foreigners, 31 percent were born abroad, and 39 percent had a migration background.
Many foreigners moving to Switzerland choose to live in big cities and areas surrounding urban centres. Unsurprisingly, the cantons of Geneva and Vaud - home to several of the country's largest corporations - have some of the largest proportion of foreign residents at 41 and 33 percent, respectively.
But why is Romandy so popular with foreigners?
UN draws talent
Nowhere in Romandy is the percentage of foreigners as high as in the canton of Geneva where nearly half of its permanent residents (41 percent) are foreign nationals. The canton also has the highest number of foreign-born citizens (51 percent), while the proportion of residents with a migration background is 1.6 times higher than the national value (63 vs. 39 percent).
So, why do so many foreigners opt to move to the canton of Geneva?
One reason why so many foreign nationals are drawn to Geneva may be its close ties to the UN. The city of Geneva is in fact host to a range of UN bodies, programmes, and agencies, alongside the World Trade Organisation.
READ ALSO: Nine Geneva life hacks to make you feel like a local
Additionally, other important non-UN organisations, including the Conference on Disarmament, the International Organisation for Migration, the Red Cross, and the International Committee are also headquartered in the city of Geneva.
Many global Geneva-based corporations recruit international talent on a regular basis and if you’re lucky enough, may not require you to speak fluent - or any – French, at least to begin with.
In fact, some of these larger corporations may instead be recruiting for speakers of languages not native to Switzerland. While we're on the topic of languages, it is also said that if a Geneva-based company asks for fluent German in their job posting, they may not necessarily have anyone in-house to test your language skills, so conversational German skills packed with a healthy dose of charisma may just see you through.
READ ALSO: Which sectors in Switzerland have the most job vacancies - and what do they pay?
Job market
In 2022, around 81,000 more foreigners immigrated to Switzerland than left the country which meant almost 20,000 more international residents arrived than the previous year. According to the federal government, the reason for the increase is simple: the growing demand in the labour market.
However, Geneva isn’t the only Romandy canton with a pull: the canton of Vaud, for instance, is home to some of the country’s largest companies.
Switzerland’s largest company, Nestlé - which manufactures a wide range of products, including baby food, bottled water, cereal, and chocolate — has a sprawling presence in a small (population about 20,000) town of Vevey.
This aerial photo taken from the Mont-Pelerin, on November 20, 2016 shows the headquarters of the Swiss food and drink giant Nestle in Vevey, western Switzerland. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP)
Located on the shore of Lake Geneva in Vaud, the town is also known as the place where Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life, and whose mansion is now a museum dedicated to his work.
Other big multinationals headquartered in Vaud are cigarette producer Philip Morris International, which employs 3,000 people in Lausanne, as well as Medtronic, a global producer of medical devices, whose European headquarters (and 750 employees) are located in a village of Tolochenaz.
It is therefore important to keep in mind that while on the surface the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, as well as the Romandy as a whole, appear more attractive to foreigners statistically-speaking, most foreigners moving to Switzerland choose to settle in (or close to) urban areas because that is where most jobs are – and not necessarily because they want to.
READ ALSO: Vaud, Basel, Zug: Where are Switzerland's largest companies?
Politics
When it comes to everyday life areas, such as housing, work, education, transport and leisure time, Switzerland’s four language regions tend to be quite similar. While this is also true for politics, there are some minor distinctions between how the French-Swiss vote when compared to their German-speaking counterparts.
Federal votes over the last few decades show that, in general, the Swiss from the French-speaking part of the country vote differently when it comes to Switzerland’s relationship with other countries as well as the topics of immigration, and state and social issues.
On the whole, the French-Swiss cast a more foreigner-friendly vote than your average Deutschschweizer (Swiss German) and more often opt to vote in favour of solutions relating to social issues than their German counterparts.
READ ALSO: What are the best Swiss cantons for foreigners?
For example: in 1992, Switzerland held a vote on whether join the European Economic Area (EEA). At the time, German-speaking Switzerland voted against a membership, while the French-speaking part of the country voted in favour, supported only by the two Basels. The canton of Basel-City, coincidentally – or not – has the largest proportion of permanent foreign residents in the Deutschschweiz at 37 percent.
Language
While some may describe French as one of the more difficult European languages to learn – pronunciation, anyone? – many foreigners face a much deeper struggle with the gazillion Swiss German dialects thrown their way upon moving to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. In the Romandy, however, spoken and written French is the official language across all cantons.
Unsurprisingly then that the French-speaking cantons attract the largest influx of French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish immigrants. The latter three have a much easier time learning a fellow romance language which can not only make moving to Switzerland feel less daunting, but also speed up integration and make foreigners feel less alienated by the Swiss.
At the end of March 2023, the canton of Geneva counted just under 40,000 French nationals, followed by Portuguese (32,000), Italian (19,900) and lastly Spanish (15,500) passport holders.
The situation in the canton of Vaud paints a similar picture with 58,472 French nationals leading the chart, followed by Portuguese (55,400), Italian (30,600) and Spanish (17,300) residents.
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Many foreigners are drawn to Switzerland thanks to factors like the high quality of living, but some language regions – such as the Romandy – prove more popular than the rest.
According to figures for the end of 2021 compiled by the Federal Office for Statistics recently, almost 26 percent of the permanent resident population in Switzerland were foreigners, 31 percent were born abroad, and 39 percent had a migration background.
Many foreigners moving to Switzerland choose to live in big cities and areas surrounding urban centres. Unsurprisingly, the cantons of Geneva and Vaud - home to several of the country's largest corporations - have some of the largest proportion of foreign residents at 41 and 33 percent, respectively.
But why is Romandy so popular with foreigners?
UN draws talent
Nowhere in Romandy is the percentage of foreigners as high as in the canton of Geneva where nearly half of its permanent residents (41 percent) are foreign nationals. The canton also has the highest number of foreign-born citizens (51 percent), while the proportion of residents with a migration background is 1.6 times higher than the national value (63 vs. 39 percent).
So, why do so many foreigners opt to move to the canton of Geneva?
One reason why so many foreign nationals are drawn to Geneva may be its close ties to the UN. The city of Geneva is in fact host to a range of UN bodies, programmes, and agencies, alongside the World Trade Organisation.
READ ALSO: Nine Geneva life hacks to make you feel like a local
Additionally, other important non-UN organisations, including the Conference on Disarmament, the International Organisation for Migration, the Red Cross, and the International Committee are also headquartered in the city of Geneva.
Many global Geneva-based corporations recruit international talent on a regular basis and if you’re lucky enough, may not require you to speak fluent - or any – French, at least to begin with.
In fact, some of these larger corporations may instead be recruiting for speakers of languages not native to Switzerland. While we're on the topic of languages, it is also said that if a Geneva-based company asks for fluent German in their job posting, they may not necessarily have anyone in-house to test your language skills, so conversational German skills packed with a healthy dose of charisma may just see you through.
READ ALSO: Which sectors in Switzerland have the most job vacancies - and what do they pay?
Job market
In 2022, around 81,000 more foreigners immigrated to Switzerland than left the country which meant almost 20,000 more international residents arrived than the previous year. According to the federal government, the reason for the increase is simple: the growing demand in the labour market.
However, Geneva isn’t the only Romandy canton with a pull: the canton of Vaud, for instance, is home to some of the country’s largest companies.
Switzerland’s largest company, Nestlé - which manufactures a wide range of products, including baby food, bottled water, cereal, and chocolate — has a sprawling presence in a small (population about 20,000) town of Vevey.
Located on the shore of Lake Geneva in Vaud, the town is also known as the place where Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life, and whose mansion is now a museum dedicated to his work.
Other big multinationals headquartered in Vaud are cigarette producer Philip Morris International, which employs 3,000 people in Lausanne, as well as Medtronic, a global producer of medical devices, whose European headquarters (and 750 employees) are located in a village of Tolochenaz.
It is therefore important to keep in mind that while on the surface the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, as well as the Romandy as a whole, appear more attractive to foreigners statistically-speaking, most foreigners moving to Switzerland choose to settle in (or close to) urban areas because that is where most jobs are – and not necessarily because they want to.
READ ALSO: Vaud, Basel, Zug: Where are Switzerland's largest companies?
Politics
When it comes to everyday life areas, such as housing, work, education, transport and leisure time, Switzerland’s four language regions tend to be quite similar. While this is also true for politics, there are some minor distinctions between how the French-Swiss vote when compared to their German-speaking counterparts.
Federal votes over the last few decades show that, in general, the Swiss from the French-speaking part of the country vote differently when it comes to Switzerland’s relationship with other countries as well as the topics of immigration, and state and social issues.
On the whole, the French-Swiss cast a more foreigner-friendly vote than your average Deutschschweizer (Swiss German) and more often opt to vote in favour of solutions relating to social issues than their German counterparts.
READ ALSO: What are the best Swiss cantons for foreigners?
For example: in 1992, Switzerland held a vote on whether join the European Economic Area (EEA). At the time, German-speaking Switzerland voted against a membership, while the French-speaking part of the country voted in favour, supported only by the two Basels. The canton of Basel-City, coincidentally – or not – has the largest proportion of permanent foreign residents in the Deutschschweiz at 37 percent.
Language
While some may describe French as one of the more difficult European languages to learn – pronunciation, anyone? – many foreigners face a much deeper struggle with the gazillion Swiss German dialects thrown their way upon moving to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. In the Romandy, however, spoken and written French is the official language across all cantons.
Unsurprisingly then that the French-speaking cantons attract the largest influx of French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish immigrants. The latter three have a much easier time learning a fellow romance language which can not only make moving to Switzerland feel less daunting, but also speed up integration and make foreigners feel less alienated by the Swiss.
At the end of March 2023, the canton of Geneva counted just under 40,000 French nationals, followed by Portuguese (32,000), Italian (19,900) and lastly Spanish (15,500) passport holders.
The situation in the canton of Vaud paints a similar picture with 58,472 French nationals leading the chart, followed by Portuguese (55,400), Italian (30,600) and Spanish (17,300) residents.
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