Business vs politics: Battle lines drawn in Switzerland over immigration
The Swiss People's Party has launched a campaign aimed at limiting immigration to the Alpine nation in response to population forecasts. But it is already facing opposition, not least from Switzerland's business community.
What's happening?
It is no surprise that the populist Swiss People's Party (SVP) takes a hard line against immigration.
The right-wing party has consistently spoken out against what it sees as too many foreigners in Switzerland.
But the SVP is taking things a step further by launching an initiative with the aim of limiting the population of the country.
Recent forecasts say the Swiss population could rise to over 10 million people - from the current 8.8 million - in the coming years.
This growth is due to several factors such as people in Switzerland living longer and more people from abroad arriving.
READ ALSO: What Switzerland needs to do to accommodate 10 million people
The SVP have rallied against this trend, saying that Switzerland's infrastructure will become burdened if the population continues to grow.
Now they want to force the Federal Council to drastically control immigration.
On Saturday, the SVP held a special party conference in Küssnacht am Rigi (SZ) and launched what it calls a "sustainability initiative".
During speeches at the event, SVP delegates attacked asylum seekers in particular.
The anti-immigration campaign, which has been in the works for some time, calls for "No 10-million Switzerland", meaning the party wants to stop Switzerland from hitting the threshold of 10 million residents by 2050.
Should this initiative go to the ballot box and be accepted, Switzerland's Federal Council would face having to take action such as terminating its agreement with the European Union that sees EU and also EFTA nationals an almost unlimited access to the Swiss labour market.
READ MORE: OPINION - Switzerland can be thankful to 'foreigners' as population nears 9 million mark
What are others saying?
The SVP will face opposition on this matter.
Swiss employers have repeatedly warned of the consequences of an immigration brake due to the worsening shortage of skilled workers.
READ ALSO: How Swiss employers want to combat the skilled worker shortage
The business umbrella group Economiesuisse last week released a statement saying that Switzerland is "in the midst of a demographic upheaval, the consequences of which are now becoming increasingly apparent".
The group said that more people are retiring than young people entering the labour market.
"The resulting problems are serious if the development continues to be ignored," they said.
"Even without further job growth, there would be a cumulative shortage of around 431,000 people in the labour market by 2040," said Economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder in Bern last week. "That is around eight percent of today's working population."
Employer representatives say there are already around 130,000 vacancies that need filled in Switzerland.
The group said that immigration is part of the solution along with fostering domestic talent.
"As long as Switzerland remains a country of immigration, the challenges will at least not be quite as serious," said the group's statement.
"The business associations are therefore clearly committed to continuing to oppose attacks on the successful model of the free movement of people," economiesuisse said.
Comments (2)
See Also
What's happening?
It is no surprise that the populist Swiss People's Party (SVP) takes a hard line against immigration.
The right-wing party has consistently spoken out against what it sees as too many foreigners in Switzerland.
But the SVP is taking things a step further by launching an initiative with the aim of limiting the population of the country.
Recent forecasts say the Swiss population could rise to over 10 million people - from the current 8.8 million - in the coming years.
This growth is due to several factors such as people in Switzerland living longer and more people from abroad arriving.
READ ALSO: What Switzerland needs to do to accommodate 10 million people
The SVP have rallied against this trend, saying that Switzerland's infrastructure will become burdened if the population continues to grow.
Now they want to force the Federal Council to drastically control immigration.
On Saturday, the SVP held a special party conference in Küssnacht am Rigi (SZ) and launched what it calls a "sustainability initiative".
During speeches at the event, SVP delegates attacked asylum seekers in particular.
The anti-immigration campaign, which has been in the works for some time, calls for "No 10-million Switzerland", meaning the party wants to stop Switzerland from hitting the threshold of 10 million residents by 2050.
Should this initiative go to the ballot box and be accepted, Switzerland's Federal Council would face having to take action such as terminating its agreement with the European Union that sees EU and also EFTA nationals an almost unlimited access to the Swiss labour market.
READ MORE: OPINION - Switzerland can be thankful to 'foreigners' as population nears 9 million mark
What are others saying?
The SVP will face opposition on this matter.
Swiss employers have repeatedly warned of the consequences of an immigration brake due to the worsening shortage of skilled workers.
READ ALSO: How Swiss employers want to combat the skilled worker shortage
The business umbrella group Economiesuisse last week released a statement saying that Switzerland is "in the midst of a demographic upheaval, the consequences of which are now becoming increasingly apparent".
The group said that more people are retiring than young people entering the labour market.
"The resulting problems are serious if the development continues to be ignored," they said.
"Even without further job growth, there would be a cumulative shortage of around 431,000 people in the labour market by 2040," said Economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder in Bern last week. "That is around eight percent of today's working population."
Employer representatives say there are already around 130,000 vacancies that need filled in Switzerland.
The group said that immigration is part of the solution along with fostering domestic talent.
"As long as Switzerland remains a country of immigration, the challenges will at least not be quite as serious," said the group's statement.
"The business associations are therefore clearly committed to continuing to oppose attacks on the successful model of the free movement of people," economiesuisse said.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.