The case

Since 2014 there has been steady growth in the number of employees in foreign groups, albeit with sector-specific differences.

The commentary

At the end of 2023 63,125 companies formed part of foreign groups in Switzerland, employing just under 2.1 million people. This shows that foreign groups represent over 40 % of the total number of employees in the market economy sector.

Germany (22.1 %), the USA (20 %) and France (15.1 %) were the leaders among foreign groups in Switzerland between 2014 and 2022. The three countries also dominated in terms of the number of companies. The number of jobs in Chinese-controlled companies increased almost fivefold (from 1,848 to 8,356). The number of employees in Luxembourg companies almost tripled (from 4,990 to 14,238). A decline in the number of jobs (from 29,081 to 27,330) shows the opposite trend for Dutch companies.

The increasing number of employees in foreign groups showcases the growing importance of international and national corporate networking in Switzerland. The growth of Chinese and Luxembourg corporate groups reflects a change in the global economic structure, while established countries such as the Netherlands have been losing importance. The uneven distribution of growth across industries suggests that economic sectors are influenced differently by globalisation and corporate strategies.