Switzerland has a pressing need to fill over 250,000 job openings across various sectors in 2024, revealed the latest Jobradar report.
The highest demand is within healthcare, construction, retail and trade, hospitality, and information technology.
Severe Skills Shortage May Worsen by 2030
A May 2023 study predicts Switzerland’s skills shortage could intensify as more baby boomers retire in the coming years.
Even accounting for a moderate influx of 50,000 skilled workers per year, the country may still have 400,000 unfilled positions by the end of the decade.
Most In-Demand Professions for Foreign Workers
Jobrador highlights the 10 most sought-after professions that present prime opportunities for foreign job seekers:
- Care Specialists and Nurses: With 6,395 openings for care specialists and nurses, the healthcare sector has a pressing need to fill positions.
- Electricians Employers: This field advertised 6,337 job vacancies for electricians.
- Sales Advisors: The demand for sales advisors amounted to 4,056 open positions.
- Carpenters: There were 3,337 job postings for carpenters.
- Project Managers: Project manager roles numbered 3,256 in the last quarter.
- Software Developers: Technology companies sought to fill 3,187 software developer jobs.
- Polymechanics: A total of 3,128 openings emerged for polymechanics.
- Healthcare Specialists: Employers looked to hire 2,625 healthcare specialists.
- Service Technicians: There were 2,606 job ads for service technicians.
- Commercial Clerks: The demand for commercial clerks reached 2,559.
Swiss Work Visa Requirements for Third-Country Nationals
Citizens outside the EU/EFTA hoping to work in Switzerland must obtain a visa in advance.
Candidates should be highly skilled, qualified experts with university degrees, proven experience, and in-demand capabilities.
Employers must confirm that no EU/EFTA citizen is available to meet labor needs.
However, last year, Switzerland decided to ease work permit rules to attract more global talent.
New Policies May Attract More Long-Term EU Immigrants
Switzerland’s evolving policies to ease hiring foreign talent could motivate more long-term immigration from EU member states.
As the country battles critical skills shortages amidst its aging workforce, streamlined work permits may incentivize EU nationals to relocate with their families for career opportunities.
In addition, the abundance of unfilled vacancies across fields like tech and healthcare could draw EU digital nomads, students, investors, and other immigrant categories intending to stay over 90 days.
Still, these long-term immigrants would need applicable visas like residence permits.
Skilled Workers Have Excellent Odds to Secure Employment
The severe labor shortages across critical Swiss industries like healthcare and technology, along with eased visa policies, mean skilled international workers stand an excellent chance of securing employment if they meet qualification requirements.
Foreign candidates able to fill vacant positions in nursing, software development, electrical engineering, management, and other high-demand fields should consider Switzerland as an ideal destination offering abundant jobs.